Goodbye (HTTYD)
by lightwood912
Summary: Hiccup is chosen to kill the Monstrous Nightmare to become a Viking. But Hiccup doesn't want this. Scared about the possible outcomes of the situation, he runs away from Berk with his dragon Toothless, and is presumed dead. Five years later, Hiccup is enjoying his new life by living among dragons, but what will happen when an unexpected event forces Hiccup to return to Berk?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_Hiccup's POV_

I have no choice. Either i tell him right now, or watch my best friend die at the hands of him.

I have no choice.

The hands, well hand, that grips tightly on my arm, restrains me from running to protect my friend, who is tangled in ropes. Everything is burning and the smoke from the fire doesn't help. I watch as he unsheathes his sword from his left hip and slowly raises it. Tears fill my eyes and start to fall down my cheeks, dripping off my chin. I have to save my friend. It's now or never. I start to shout-

"NO STOP! DON'T KILL HIM!" The struggles i make are not helping me or my friend "PLEASE"

The sword is raised over my friends head. Just as he brings it down i scream-

"NO DAD! STOP!"


	2. Chapter 1: Right Decision?

**Right Decision?**

_Hiccup POV_

This is just great. Out of all the kids in Dragon Training, i had to get picked. I don't even harm the dragons. What does the Elder see in me? I ran through the forest like a rabbit, trying to outrun a fox, instead of running from a fox, i'm running from the whole village. I had to get to the cove and figure out how i'm going to avoid this, they expect me at a celebration tonight, which is only a few hours away. Dad and the all the people in the village haven't given me a moments peace, and Astrid is starting to make my skin really crawl.

I finally reached the cove, trying to be careful on my down as it happened to lightly rain last night, so the rocks were slippery and I was carrying a heavy basket. As i came to the ground, the Night Fury bounded over to me in excitement, he had been waiting all day and wanted to go on a flight or get a basket filled with fish, which was slung over my shoulder. I placed the basket on the ground and tipped it over, letting all of the fish slide out. I sighed and sat myself on a slightly wet boulder, and let my mind wonder. How can i avoid this? I don't want to kill a dragon, but if i don't then dad might banish me from the island and Toothless can't survive on his own, but if i do kill the dragon Toothless, might not trust me anymore. how can I avoid this?

I got it! I run away. I'll come to the cove in the middle of the night and get Toothless and go live on an island by ourselves. The party goes till midnight, i'll claim that I feel tired and go to bed early to grab the things I need, sneak out of the house and head to the cove. But what of Dad? For once in my life he is proud of me, but proud of me from a lie. I can't keep this up. One day the dragon whom i've kept secret ever since Dad went to find the nest will be found out. I have to do this for mine and Toothless' sake. Plus, i've already caused enough trouble around here.

I spent the next hour telling Toothless the plan while editing up the harness so it could hold extra weight. By the time I was finished, I took the basket that used to contain the fish and headed back home with saying to Toothless "I'll be back tonight"

_2 hours later_

"Hiccup?" My father called "You up there?"

"Yeah, Dad" I call back

I hear my fathers heavy footsteps against the the creaking wooden staircase, i still wonder how it hasn't collapsed under my dad's weight. The door to my bedroom opened with one quick swing, to reveal my dad squeezing his montainous figure through the narrow doorway. As soon as he was out of the doorway, he stood there for a minute staring at me, and i stared back, thus creating an awkwrad silence between us.

"I think we should get a wider doorway for your room" he said randomly. Wow. Leave dad to break the silence.

"Um... So," he continued "Just came up to tell you to get ready for the celebration in the Great Hall"

"Yeah, i'll be there soon" i replied. Dad then squeezed back through the doorway and headed downstairs. I heard the front door open and shut, signaling that my dad left for the Great Hall. I sighed and got off my chair and walked out of my room to the bathroom down the small hallway. I head to the wooden basin and splashed a handful of water over my face. I grab a comb and roughly run it through my messy hair, i don't even know why i bother trying to comb my hair, it's always messy.

I walk downstairs and sat at the table in front of a small bowl of soup, that smelled of fish and cabbage, then I realised that the cauldron over the fire place was filled with the same soup. Dad must've made some after he got home. I took a few spoonfuls of the soup, thinking about my plan to run away. Where would I go? What impact would it have on Dad? I have to do this. I just hope I'm making the right decision.

I gulped down the rest of the soup in my bowl, quickly rinsed it out along with the spoon with some rain water from a bucket, dried them and placed them in the cabinet where we put all the dishes and cutlery. I opened the front door to reveal the village completely empty. Everyone's probably at the Great Hall for the celebration. I keep wandering if I should leave a note to explain all my actions, and if I do leave, what would become of the Monstrous Nightmare? Will they let Astrid kill it? Or will they forget about it? If they do leave the dragons alone, I can come back in the middle of the night to free them. Looks like I am leaving after all.

_The Great Hall_

I made my way up the steps to the Great Hall, trying to be as slow as possible. I could hear all the loud and deafening laughter, radiating out of a small gap between the huge doors and frame. Sounded like everone was already drunk. I pushed open the doors and walked in. Banners were hanging from the ceiling, the smell of roasted meat and honey mead wafted throught the air, men and women holding and drinking pints of alcohol while being heavily engaged in coversation. I saw my dad standing at the other end of the hall, talking with Gobber and smiling proudly. This might be the last time i see it. As i walk through the Hall, people were smiling at me and congratulating me by shaking my hand and wishing me good luck tomorrow.

"Hiccup!" someone called. I turned around to face the direction of the noise, to find that the other teens were sitting at a table and gesturing me to sit with them. I took a deep breath and walked towards them. I sat myself between Snotlout and Fishlegs while sitting directly across Astrid, who was glaring daggers at me. The twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut sat together at the end of the table, throwing punches and pushing each other, just to get the last piece of roasted chicken on their plate. Eventually Ruffnut, won.

"Hey Hiccup, you excited about tomorrow?" asked Fishlegs

"Yeah" I replied, trying to pull a fake smile.

_'This going to be a long night'_

_6 hours later_

It was now 9:30. Time to put my plan into action. I quickly excuse myself from the table and go over to where my dad was, he was sitting with Gobber, Mulch, Bucket and Sven at the other side of the hall. I slowly made my way over to him, thinking carfully about what i was going to say as my last words to him. "Hey dad?" i quietly say. He turned around on his seat to face me, and bent down a little to hear better to what had to say. "What is it son?' he asked. I took a deep breath; gathering the courage to do this.

"I just wanted to let you know, that i'm going back to the house. I'm kinda tired." My dad nods in understanding. That's new. Since when does he do that?

"That's fine. You need to save your energy and strength for tomorrow"

Yeah" I frown. My father sees this, his eyes widen in bewilderment. "What's wrong, Hiccup?" he asks.

"I just feel a little nervous about tomorrow" Oh Gods

"Don't worry" my father encourages "I'll admit that, I was a bit on edge when it was my time to kill my first dragon" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My dad being a little scared about killing his first dragon? This is unbelievable. "And when I stepped into the arena to face that dragon, I thought I would drop my axe, but I went through with it and made my father and the whole village proud. What I'm trying to say is that no matter how scared you are, we'll all be there to comfort you. And after all the years of 'The Worst Viking on Berk' I'm proud of you. You've shown me the true Viking inside."

I felt my heart tear in two different directions. my whole life I've been trying to get my dad to accept me, and now he does. A couple of hours ago I made up my mind to leave, but hearing those words come out of my fathers mouth, I wasn't so sure. A voice in my head was telling me that leaving was the right way to go, and if I did leave, I would be out of my fathers hair and stop causing trouble, as well as to avoid killing the dragon. The voice had won.

I force a sad smile towards my dad who returns the smile. "Thanks dad" I say. He pulls me into one of his bear hugs, gripping my back and hauling me into his chest. He hasn't given me a hug in years. I don't think I remember the last time he hugged me. I can't stand all this affection in one night. Gently, I push from dad and look at him with a tired face. I had to get out of here.

" I better get to bed. Its getting late" I state.

"Of course, big day tomorrow" dad gives a small ruffle on my hair, and I give out a short giggle. "Goodnight, son. See you in the morning"

"Goodnight dad" i made a last minute decision, to say something i haven't said in a long time, and seeing that this is the last time i'll talk to him, might as well say it now. "Love you"

"Love you too, son"


	3. Chapter 2: A New Beginning

**A New Beginning**

_Hiccup's POV_

I walked towards my house, with my head down and eyes staring at the ground. The cold night air made me shiver a little, causing me to tug my brown fur vest around me more. I kept playing those last words my father said to me in my head. '_Love you too, son'_ I haven't heard those words since i was five years old. Just by hearing them made my heart ache and by both hearing and watching thoses words from my dad, made me want to cry on the spot.

I was so caught up in my thoughts that i didn't realise i was already at my front door. How long was i standing here? I shook my head to fully wake me up from that trance and was about to open my door when i remembered to stop by the forge to grab the stuff i need. I quickly turn around and walk fast paced to the forge with my footsteps in sync with my heartbeat, which was beating rapidly, so instead of walking I was slow jogging. The village was shrouded in a thick blanket of darkness, with only a few torches every now and then to help guide me through the streets. The stars above blinked and shimmered in the night sky, the crescent moon glowed hauntingly like an unknown source of light at the end of a pitch black corridor. It was a beautiful night.

I reached the forge and gingerly took a step through the doorway, checking to see if anyone was here. I relaxed greatly as there was no one here. Grabbing a basket weaved with river reeds, I ran into my private room at the back. I tore page after page off the wall of my study and took every one of my tools, along with my work apron, sketchbook, spare charcoal and paper. But in the end I was just carelessly dumping everything on my desk into the basket. I wasn't too worried about people noticing most of my belongings were missing as people never really paid much attention, and nobody not even my father or Gobber was been in my study or bedroom. I left my study and headed home, it was getting really late and dad would be coming back from the Great Hall soon. I had to hurry.

I ran up the hill, where my house was placed. Why? Why in Thor's name did it have to be up a hill? I open the front door to find the cauldron over the fireplace that was filled with the fish and cabbage soup, now empty and lying on the floor, in a small puddle of leftover soup. I knelt down to inspect and dipped a my right forefinger in the soup. It was cold. That means someone came in here while everyone else was at the celebration. But why would they eat the soup? Suddenly creak from upstairs caught my attention, the person was still in the house. It sounded like it was coming from my bedroom. I put the basket down at the bottom of the staircase and walk upstairs, trying to be as quiet as possible, as to not alarm the intruder. I stop at a wooden door with my name engraved on a small plank of wood that was hanging from a small rope, on a hook attached to the door. Quickly I grab my dagger that was pressed between my waist belt and green tunic, brace myself, and reach for the door handle. I push open the door and startled to find-

"Toothless! What are you doing here?"

Judging by the light coming from the candle resting on my bedside table, the Night Fury was casually sitting on top of my bed and staring at me with his pupils fully dilated and ears pointing towards the ceiling. It looked as if he was waiting for me to arrive, but how did he get out of the cove? He can't fly. I wipe away the thought as I hear distant sounds of people coming out of the Great Hall and heading home. I place my dagger on my bedside table and look outside through my window and recognise my father amongst the crowd, walking along side Gobber who was waving his prosthetic hook hand in the air and calling out random words. He was drunk.

I didn't have much time before my father gets home, so I rushed downstairs and grabbed the basket and some food and medical supplies, went back upstairs into my room and shut the door and locking it. Toothless jumped off the bed and came over to nuzzle me while purring loudly, he smelt of fish and cabbage soup, well that explains why the cauldron was empty and on the floor. I went over to the wooden wardrobe at the other side of my room and opened it, revealing all my clothes hanging from a rack, while my two pairs of spare boots were on the base of the wardrobe in a line. The comparison of my wardrobe with my room was shocking. I don't know how I kept my wardrobe so tidy while the rest of my room was a complete mess. Seriously, papers were scattered everywhere, the walls, the floor, even the bed, the blankets were half lying on the floor and half on the bed, my desk had several sketchbooks; that were filled with drawings and charcoal pencils lay rested on the desk instead of placed in the ceramic cup. I take three pairs of clothes and one pair of boots and shove them in the basket, i then grab a spare blanket and pillow and also stick that in the basket.

I look around to check if i haven't left anything. My eyes turn to see the Viking helmet, made out of my mother's breastplate, resting at the foot of my bed. I slowly walk over to it, picking it up by the horns and staring sadly. Toothless, came over to my right and gave me a worried look.

"Don't worry, bud" i reassured Toothless "I'll be fine"

Just then the front door shut from downstairs, and dad's thunderous footsteps could be heard. I jumped at the the noise, causing me to drop the helmet with a thud. Toothless, lowly growled as a voice was heard.

"Hiccup? Are you up there?" He called. I then hear him whisper "What happened to the cauldron?"

_Oh Gods_. In a panic i rushed for the basket and attached it to the harness on Toothless' saddle. I hear dad's footsteps on the staircase and reach for my dagger, accidentally grabbing the blade instead of the handle. A loud knock suddenly is heard from my door, causing me to slice my hand with the dagger, creating a thin and bleeding line across the palm of my left hand. I catch the dagger before it could hit the floor and alert my dad, but I spoke too soon. Seeing the blood Toothless got worried and let out a small whine before sitting down on the floor, knocking a small table next to him and the vase on top of it fell and shattered on contact with the floor. _Perfect_.

"Hiccup?!" Dads voice boomed from the other side of the door "Answer me! Are you alright?"

I hear the door handle jingle a bit and dads worried calls from the corridor. I abandon the dagger on the floor, and run to Toothless; the cut on my hand leaving a small blood trail. The bedroom door was being pounded on and the hinges were coming loose. I hopped on Toothless, slipping my feet into the pedals, and opening his tail. I caught a glimpse of a black scale on the floor, but before i could do anything we flew out of the window just as the door bursted open. "Goodbye" I whispered

Toothess and i glided through the night sky, having no idea where we're going. I took out a bandage and wrapped it around my cut. After 20 miutes of flying we settled down a nearby island to stay the night. A cave on the side of a mountain caught my eye as there was a lake just outside of it which was thriving with fresh water fish, enough for me and Toothless' breakfast tomorrow. We stepped into the cave and built a small fire to keep us warm. Toothless went and laid by the fire, I was getting really tired and was about to take the blanket and pillow out of the basket, but Toothless had other ideas. He retracted his teeth and grabbed the back of my tunic, resting me down beside him and using his legs to pull me close to him. He used his front left leg to pillow my head and his right wing came down and acted as a blanket, he placed his head next to mine and curled his tail around us.

I have no idea what I'm going to do now. I have nowhere to go. My whole life is ahead of me, with no one to tell me what to do. I'm free to do whatever I want. I have a second chance at my life and going to make the most of it.

It's a new beginning.


	4. Never Take Advice From Toothless

**Never Take Advice from Toothless**

_Five Years Later_

_Hiccup's POV_

"Toothless! This is the last time I take advice from you for a Whispering Death!" I shout

How do I always get myself in these situations? Why can't I have a normal day for once? Well at least it did start out as normal. Wake up to Toothless roaring and jumping up and down for his morning flight, come back and have breakfast, sweep the floor a bit, check on a dragon in the stables, race against Toothless and go on a flight to one the nearby islands to look for injured, sick or abandoned dragons. That's where this problem started. We were just walking quietly when we heard the distressed cries of a dragon. Toothless and I went to investigate and came across a Whispering Death, trapped in razor netting, trying to shake it off himself. But the net kept a good hold on him and was causing long scratches on his body.

I have only encountered a Whispering Death a few times and when I did, I needed Toothless' help. But that help didn't make the situation better this time. Toothless had suggested to try and calm it down (which I did eventually) then knock it out to remove the netting. I wasn't so sure about it but I went with it. I had left the dragon nip at home-it wouldn't have any use for this situation anyway, since Whispering Deaths aren't affected by it- so I went and knocked it on its head, and it fell unconscious. At least that's what I thought. The dragon seemed to think I was going to harm it, so when I carefully removed the net, it attacked me. So now I'm trying to outrun it in the forest.

"_Well, your the one who took it_" Toothless shouted back

"We'll argue about this later" I state "Right now we have to figure out how we're going to lose this guy"

In the past five years, I have come to learn the language of dragons, which they called Dragonese. The language was a complex mix of roars, screeches, bellows, growls, purrs and hisses. At first I thought it would be easy, but was proven wrong. With Toothless as my teacher, he made the complex language even more complex.

"_What do suggest we do?_" Asked Toothless

"Split up! It can't follow both of us at the same time"

We went in different directions, heading deeper into the forest. Of course the Whispering Death followed me. I ran in a zig zag path, hoping to throw the dragon off my trail, I could hear the Whispering Death's screeching and its six rows of rotating teeth clicking. This just isn't my day. Running through a forest is harder than it sounds, more than once my foot got caught on a tree root or a fallen branch, but ever since I left Berk, I have gained speed and strength, Toothless also taught me how to fight and to be light on my feet for stealth.

I was gaining distance between myself and the Whispering Death, as the roars of the dragon grew softer and more distant. Quickly, I hide behind a tree keeping hidden in the shadows the leaves casted while praying to Thor it doesn't find me. I kept my mouth closed and my breathing shallowed as it went by. In the corner if my eye, I saw its snake like body and the spines that protruded from it, rip jagged lines in the dirt.

I held my breath as the dragon stopped nearby, trying to sense anything. Its pupil and iris free eyes scanned the surroundings. Sensing nothing it moved away from the suspected area and continued its search somewhere else in the forest. Seeing my chance, I slowly come out of my hiding place and made my way in the opposite direction to find Toothless. All was going well, before I stepped on a twig, carried on by the sharp cracking sound that echoed through the woods. Hearing this the Whispering Death turned its head as quick as a whip and looked at me with a menacing stare. Could my day get any worse? Throwing away stealth, and putting in speed, I ran as fast as I could. A loud ear piercing screech erupted from the dragon as it burrowed into the ground, chasing after me.

The Earth shook by the dragons burrowing and a trail of crumbled pieces of dirt exploded from the ground, following the Whispering Death as it tunnelled through dirt, soil and rock. I stumbled into a clearing in the forest as the Whispering Death erupted out the ground and fired some of its spines at me. To avoid getting hit by one of those, I dived forward to my right and placed my hands on the ground, pushing off it and cartwheeling away from the spines. But it wasn't so successful. As I cartwheeled, one of the spines which was shot from the red tip of the dragons tail made a deep scratch on my left waist, causing me to collapse in pain. On the ground clutching my injured side, the dragon drew back a bit ready to charge at me. And it would have too if Toothless hadn't tackled it by surprise.

They rolled on the ground biting and clawing at each other. The Whispering Death was soon pinned underneath Toothless who snarled with pure hatred at it. Toothless then drew back to ready a plasma blast, so he could finish off the dragon.

"Toothless! Don't!" I yell "Let him go! I think he's learned his lesson"

Toothless seemed to consider this for a moment and stepped off the dragon. Seeing the only chance of getting away, the Whispering Death burrowed underground and fled, leaving me and Toothless alone. I felt relieved that the dragon was gone, but that feeling was quickly extinguished by the throbbing pain coming from my left waist. I cringe at the stinging of the wound, it was like fire burning slowly into my skin, taking its time to cause major damage to my body. Hearing my pained gasp, Toothless bounded over with a look of concern. Carefully I pulled up my tunic to reveal a deep cut that slowly bled and glowed a bright threatening red. The spine that was shot at me came from the red end of the dragons tail, which means..._Oh No _

Toothless saw the expression of horror on my face and cooed worriedly. He and I both knew I was in deep trouble. The spines from a Whispering Deaths body contains a small amount of poison which can leave a person sick for a week, but if you're injected with the poison from a spine at the red end of the tail, you would have about four days to live. Five if you're lucky.

"_Hiccup?_" asks Toothless "_What are we going to do_?"

The look I gave him said it all 'I don't know'. If I don't do anything then I'll die within four days, I'm only 19 and I still have my life ahead of me. There is only one hope for me to live, but I won't like it. Throughout the years I've been gone there were only two people who knew I was alive. One was Trader Johann, he got caught in a storm three years ago and washed up, along side his boat, on my island one day. Ever since then he has been delivering me supplies in exchange for some exotic fruit I came by, which he sold to different islands in the Barbaric Archipelago. The second person was Gothi, the village Elder and healer from Berk. She found me out when she was in the forest gathering some plants for a medicine brew, and saw me land in the cove on a rare trip I took to Berk. That night she told me she already knew I was alive, by listening to stories the wind carried. Since then she has offered me assistence whenever i need it and has promised not tell anyone that i'm alive. Gothi is the only one I know and trust who can help me now.

The sound of thunder interrupted me from my thoughts. I had completely forgotten about the storm. When Toothless and I where coming to the island this morning, I had noticed some dark grey clouds were forming together, telling me that there was a storm brewing and made a mental note to keep tabs on it. But when the Whispering Death issue occurred, it was immediately erased from my mind. It had just started so there might be a chance of me and Toothless reaching our island before it got really dangerous.

"Toothless! Come on bud. Lets get home. We can visit Gothi tomorrow"

"_If you can that is_" he retorted

"What's that supposed to mean?" I question

"_Remember what happened last time? You waited until the last minute, to be cured. And you were only a second away from dying!_" Toothless answered back

"Ok, what do you think we should do?"

"_I think we should head to Berk._" he replied "_NOW!_" As much as i hated to say it, he was right.

"Alright Toothless, we'll go now. But that storm, it's getting worse. If it becomes too dangerous to fly then we'll stop at a nearby island and wait until it ends. Either way we'll get there by nightfall"

"_I don't care! Just as long as we get there to heal you. Now get off your scrawny butt, and lets go already!_"

I sighed in annoyance and did as he said. We took off flying close to the water, wanting to avoid getting hit by lighting. I let my mind wonder, leaving Toothless to skim the ocean on his own. I didn't like this one bit. Eventhough i'm only going to see Gothi, i still feel very uncomfortable with going to the island i grew up on for fourteen years. I sometimes regret my choice to leave but it was for the best, i couldn't stand being a burden to my father and the village anymore, and i also couldn't stand keeping Toothless i secret. I have to go back to berk.

Whether i like it or not.


	5. Chapter 5: No Choice

**No Choice**

_Hiccup'sPOV _

We flew past Sorrow Island, the furthest one away from Berk on the Viking map. However, Toothless and I have been much further. The wonders of this world have been incredible, nothing I could've imagined. I came across new lands with indigenous tribes, one whose Chief had wanted his daughter to marry me, found new species of dragons and befriended them, learned different languages (including animal) and even convinced other islands that dragons weren't what they seem. It was a shame I couldn't do it for Berk, they would never listen, being stubborn Vikings and all.

It was hard at the start, after leaving but Toothless was always there to help me through, when it came to survival. I still remember the day when Toothless taught me how to fish and hunt. I found out ways to defend myself from wild dragons and trappers, like forging weapons from a metal substance called Gronkle Iron, which was very light but very strong. I created a spear out of it, and it was very useful, I would constantly upgrade the weapon by attaching features to it like, hollowing one end of it out and forging the other end into a sword that was coated with Monstrous Nightmare saliva so it flamed up, so the spear acted like a sword _and_ sheath. At the end of the sword was also hollow for a cable tied to a hook that would shoot out by a spring. The spearhead was interchangeable with a axe head by a screw which swung, thus changing their position at the top of the staff, i made an upgrade on my saddle to clip it on and know it would be safe in the possession of Toothless. Another discovery was that every year Toothless would shed his scales, leaving behind a small pile of shiny black circles all over the place. In order to get rid of them I tried to burn them, but they were unaffected and still cool to the touch, that's when I found out they were fireproof. Thinking it would come in handy, I made a cloak with a hood from black leather and sewed on the black scales and attached a silver clasp, that was in the shape of a Night Fury. I was wearing the same cloak now.

It started to grow dark, the sun setting in the west horizon, it was another three hours until we reach Berk, and by then it would be dark so Toothless and I will be able to get to Gothi's hut without being noticed. The world started to blur a little and everything was spinning, I place my hand on my right temple, and shake my head, trying to get rid of the nausea. Toothless saw this and slowed down.

"_The_ _poisons_ _starting_ _to_ _affect_ _you_" he pointed out

"I'm aware of that"

A few kilometres away from us, we spotted a small ship with no markings on the sails and the railings were framed with Viking shields, it was sailing in the direction of the island Freezing to Death, home of the Meathead Tribe. On the deck I saw a person running around in circles chasing something. It looked to be a Terrible Terror, one I knew very well. And by the yells of the man i'd say it was Trader Johann.

"Come on Toothless, let's go help him out."

"_But, what about Berk_?" he asks

"It can wait five minutes" I answer

I steered Toothless towards the boat, knowing that Johann couldn't handle dragons, let alone a Terrible Terror. When we got next to the boat I told Toothless to hover while we watch this quite amusing scene unfold. It indeed was Trader Johann, he panted breathlessly as he chased a green and red Terrible Terror that had seemed to have snatched one of Johann's exquisite trinkets, and was flying around the ships deck in large circles, tiring out the traveller. Eventually, Johann stopped running and stood on shaky legs, taking deep long breaths. I thought now was a good time to let him become aware of my presence so I loudly cleared my throat. Johann turned to face me, and a wide smile appeared on his slightly red face.

"Ah! Master Hiccup. Fancy seeing you so soon" he beamed

"The last time I saw you was three months ago" I commented. Johann's face got even redder.

"Oh" he realised "Time does fly by, when your travelling"

"It sure does" I reply "By the way, was it just my imagination or were you chasing a Terrible Terror, not too long ago?"

I didn't think it was possible for his face to get any redder. He gave a small guilty chuckle, and that was enough for me to know it was the truth. I was about to burst out laughing along with Toothless, but was interrupted by a small high pitched squeak coming from the mast of the ship. Toothless, Johann and I turned our attention to it in unison. Hanging from the mast by its claws was the little dragon, with a small gold rimmed vase in its mouth. I know that Terrible Terror. Snippy. One of the Terrors that I used to go on scouting missions and deliver messages. He was a real trouble maker.

"Ok Snippy." I hissed in Dragonese "That's enough"

"_Aww_" he sulked "_Five_ _more_ _minutes_"

"No. You've had your fun. Now give that vase back to Johann and go home"

Snippy slowly climbed down that wooden mast and walked over to Johann and placed the vase in front of him and quickly flew off. It was like looking after a six year old who never listens, but then again I was like that. I watched as Johann bent down with his knees slightly cracking and picked up the vase. He had aged in these past five years, his clothes were frayed and crooked stitches mended ripped seams, the colours of the material had faded, his dark brown hair and braided beard, bore long streaks of white hair. He looked tired and weary, but his spirit never aged and its thirst for adventures was unquenchable.

"Thank you, for helping me, Hiccup"

"Not a problem Johann" I respond simply. He went to the other side if the ship and placed the vase in a wooden chest and turned towards me with his head down. I looked at him and saw wrinkles had formed under his eyes, he looked like he hadn't slept in days.

"Johann?" I ask "Are you OK?"

His head shot up and stared at me for a moment with surprise and confusion, until he finally spoke. "Oh yes, I'm quite alright. Just a bit tired, it gets like this during the holiday seasons," His face lit up for a second "I was going to give you this the next time I come around, but since your here, might as well give it to you now" I landed Toothless onto the boat and slipped off the saddle. Trader Johann had turned around to pick up something. It was a small box, no bigger than my hand. A white ribbon was tied around it and a holly was slipped into the knot. "Happy Snoggletog, Hiccup" He handed me the item, it was light and the box smelled of oak. I had forgotten it was Snoggletog in a few days. Untying the knot and catching the holly as it fell, i opened the box to reveal a necklace. But it wasn't just any necklace, it was my mothers. The necklace was a metal hexagonal plate with a amber carving of the Berk crest, it was connected to a silver chain. I thought I lost it when a Changewing attacked me on Thor Rock island. Looks like Johann found it, I'm surprised he didn't take it to my father.

"Wow. Thanks Johann. How did you find it?"

"Well, I was fishing one morning, hoping to entertain myself for a bit, when I finally got a snag and hauled it up on deck. The fish was a big salmon that looked like it could swallow a cod whole. When I got the hook out of its mouth, I noticed something was clogging up its throat. Bravely, I reached into its mouth and pulled out the necklace." With every word he spoke, his arms would impersonate actions of the memory. I didn't really believe him, but decided not to point it out. I slip the silver chain over my head, having the pendant rest against my chest. I felt a nudge on my arm by Toothless.

"Hey Johann, you forgot Toothless"

"Don't worry Toothless, i have something for you too" Johann gave Toothless a reassuring pat on the head and went over to a fish crate. He put both his hands in there, digging for a particular fish, i presume. "Aha" he called. He turned around and held the biggest salmon i've ever seen. "This here is the salmon i caught and found the necklace in. I was going to cook it tonight but, i thought Toothless would like it as a Snoggletog present" Johann held out the salmon in front of Toothless, who gave it a quick sniff and bit it in half. The other half was taken from Johann's hands and offered to me by Toothless.

"_Would_ _you_ _like_ _some_?" he asked

"No thanks, it's your present"

"_Please_! _you_ _have_ _to_ _try_ _it_" Toothless begged

I sigh "Ok, but not right now" I take the fish from his mouth and put it in the satchel attached to the saddle. "Thank you Johann, for the gifts" I say while holding my hand out for him to shake.

"My pleasure, Master Hiccup" he replied while shaking my hand in gratitude. "But, please consider what I said three months ago. Just let your father know your alive and well. I don't think he can stand another holiday without you"

Johann had informed me about my fathers condition. He said the last time he saw my dad, he looked like a ghost. Stoick hadn't been sleeping and eating enough, he barely paid attention to his chiefly duties and left his brother Spitelout to take care of the village most if the time. It saddened me greatly when I heard that, I couldn't believe that i did this to him.

"I'll think about it, Johann" I answer. We said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. Maybe I should let my dad know I'm alive, it would get rid of the guilt on my shoulders and give my father some relief. I believed Johann when he said my dad didn't look well, cause sometimes I would take a trip back to Berk, to get things I needed or left behind, and would catch a glimpse of Stoick looking pale, tired and -I couldn't believe it- thinner. I did this. Might as well let him know.

***  
>We are now twenty minutes from Berk. I have to admit I'm kind of happy to be back at the island I grew up on. It was night and we were completely invisible to anyone who was looking up. my clothes allowed me to blend in, as they were the colours of nighttime.<p>

"_Hey_ _Hiccup_?" asks Toothless

"Yeah?" I reply

"_What's_ _that_ _glow_, _over there_?"

Turning my attention ahead, we saw huge, bright orange light coming from Berk. In the distant we were able to hear dragon roars. There was a dragon raid occurring. For Thor's sake, I don't need this right now.

"Toothless!" I exclaim "There's a dragon raid going on. I'm thinking, maybe hiding in the cove till this ends."

"_But, what about the dragons_?" asks Toothless "_They're under the mind control of the dragon queen! We can't let them suffer and die for something they aren't doing intentionally_"

He's right. This isn't their fault, they don't have any control of their actions. The dragon queen is to blame for this. Toothless had once brought me to the nest and showed me why they raided us. He said the queen was always demanding food, and there was barely any left for themselves. Most of them died from starvation or were eaten alive by the queen, if they didn't bring enough food back to her. They couldn't leave the nest because of the mind control, so they were forever enslaved by the queen, unless they could snap out of it. That's what I've been doing. I would follow the dragons from the nest and convince them, that they didn't need to serve the queen anymore, and it worked.

"Are you saying we should help?" I shout "We could be seen!"

"_Im a Night Fury, remember! I can stay up in the sky, and blend into the darkness. I'll use my sonic screech to attract their attention, then you take it from there_."

"It won't as simple as that" I point out "Not every dragon listens to your call and the Vikings will notice something's going on"

"_Well it's a risk were going to take_"

From there, Toothless went at full speed towards Berk. I clung onto the saddle as we sped through the air to the island i once called home. When we reached the shore, Toothless flew straight up and stopped to hover, so we were overlooking Berk. Vikings were hoisting weapons in the air along with shields, screaming war cries. Houses were burning to ashes and dragons were stealing the livestock and fish. I caught a sight of my dad, he was charging at a Deadly Nadder with a sword in hand. I resisted the urge to fly down their and stop him, as he may accidently or purposely kill me. The look on Toothless' face was one that would tear my heart in two, his look was of sadness, guilt and horror, if he could repay for all the damage he caused, he'd do it in a heartbeat. I pat him on the head, to signal that now's the time. He released a blast of sound that could be heard a mile away, and to dragon ears it would be heard as "STOP!"

Nearly all the dragons stopped, the ones who were fighting Vikings carried on with their battle, while the other dragons dropped what they had in their possession and tilted their heads toward us. Thankfully the Vikings didn't notice as every single one was still fighting. A Monstrous Nightmare flew up and came towards us, i could hear the other dragons whispering amongst each other, they were saying _'Who is the one riding the Night Fury_?', _'What do they want_?', '_What will Flamewing do_?' The Nightmare stopped and hovered along with us, his eyes studying me and Toothless, but mostly me.

"_I am Flamewing, Second in command of the Dragon Queen" _he announced "_Who are you and what is the meaning of this_?"

"My name is Hiccup, but among dragons i'm known as Little Sparrow" i had gained that name from an old Timberjack that was wise, i had rescued his family from trappers and told him of my adventures. The old dragon had soon passed away from age and with his last breath he declared me the 'Little Sparrow, Whisperer of the dragons'. Stories about 'Little Sparrow' ventured far and wide, even to the dragons nest.

"_Little Sparrow_?!" Flamewing exclaimed "_Apologies, for my rudeness, i did not realise_"

"No apology necessary" i said politely "I only wish to free you of the Queens tyranny, you don't have to live in fear of her or allow her to use you as slaves, anymore"

"_But where will we go_?" asked Flamewing "_We have no other home to go to"_

"Head North to Sorrow Island," i direct "There you will find a Terrible Terror called Crimson, and tell her you are looking for a home. She will show you the way."

"_Thank you, Little Sparrow. If there is anything we can do in return, we will happily do it_" The Monstrous Nightmare, then roared loudly, this time however _all _the of the dragons listen and flew away from Berk with Flamewing in the lead. The Vikings on the ground, were wearing confused looks, I mean wouldn't you if dragons had just left the food they were going to take and fly off. I watched as the herd of dragons grew smaller from my sight, it always made me happy when I see dragons who were under the control of the queen, to being free and to live their own life. I signal Toothless to head towards the forest, where we would stay until it is safe enough to go visit Gothi. It wasn't long before I noticed that Toothless and I weren't completely hidden in the darkness, but before I tell him I heard a shout that sent a shiver down my spine.

"Shoot that dragon down!"

And the next thing I know is that a bola was shot at us, from what looked like the bola launcher i invented five years ago, to shoot down Toothless. We managed to dodge a few, but soon a bola wrapped around Toothless' tail and by the shear force of it, the bola ripped the prosthetic off and we fell to the ground. As we were falling I got separated from Toothless and was frantically trying to grab his saddle, and without warning we impacted with the ground.

_Stoick's_ _POV_

I was about to finish off the Nadder when it suddenly flew away, along with all the dragons. I look around, everyone is as confused as I am. The dragons left leaving behind all the food they intended to take. What in Thor's name is going on? Then from the corner of my eye, i spotted the faintest shadow speed by, i turn to get a look. A dragon, not entirely concealed in the shadows but, we all know and fear. A Night Fury. It was flying in the opposite direction of the other dragons, we haven't seen one in five years. Nether the less, that dragon came in the middle of the night and killed my son in cold blood. Tonight I'll kill that beast without mercy, thus avenging my son.

"Shoot that dragon down!" I yell, pointing to the area in the sky.

Hoark, one of my best men fired a bola from one of Hiccup's inventions. After my son had died, we had a look at his works and blueprints of weapons that he thought could help the village. One was the bola launcher which he called 'The Mangler', i never thought it would be so useful. That Thor-Forsaken dragon dodged them, Hoark kept firing until we snagged its tail. I watches it fall, hearing its wails of panic but I also heard the cries of a man. Squinting my eyes due to the darkness I saw a person, falling along side the dragon. I signal the men to follow me, the beast landed at the edge of the forest, sheathing my sword and hefting my axe, I ran to the spot and there it was, the black devil which took my sons life. I will finally avenge his death.

The bloody beast was lying on the ground, writhing in pain, it seemed to have broken a wing. Good, a downed dragon is a dead one. The vikings crowd around, trying to get a glimpse of the Night Fury, i'm about six feet away from the dragon, my grip on the axe tightens and i run up to it with a Viking cry, i pull the axe over my head ready to strike, and as i bring it down to end its life a figure jumps from behind the dragon and blocks my attack with a weird looking staff. The figure is hooded in cloak of what looked like dragon scales, his dark blue tunic was covered in grime, dirt and specks of blood. At the sleeves he wore brown leather wrappings up to his elbows, the black pants he wore had ripped at the right knee that showed a graze, he seemed to wear no armour or carry any shield. Good. I couldn't see his eyes because of the dark and the shadow that the hood produces, covering half of his face.

I back away a few metres, and get into a fighting stance, the man- no, boy, he couldn't be any more than 19- stood up straight. The dragon was growling loudly and the boy held his hand out and the growling stopped. This person seemed to be able do command dragons to do his bidding.

"Who are you?" i asked "Why are you protecting this dragon?"

The boy stayed silent. Instead of talking he raised his weapon in front of him and flicked some kind of switch that changed the spearhead at the end of the staff to an axe head, whoever he was, he was smart and looking for a fight. Well he's going to get one.

"You think you can beat me, in a fight?" i mock "You are terribly mistaken"

We begin to circle slowly, never taking our eyes off each other. We charge at the same time axes raised. I swung first, aiming for his shoulder, the boy dodged the swing by bending his back backwards, missing the axe and sliding between my legs, then lept up, flinging his legs into my back. Effectively pushing me and losing my balance. By the time i turned around he was already standing and ready for another round. So this boy knew how to fight. This time the mysterious boy charged, thinking he was going to strike I readied myself to defend, only he didn't, he placed one end of the spear into the ground and vaulted over me. Before i could turn, he bashed the pole of the spear against my shoulder and causing me to fall to the ground, i tried to get up but the boy pinned me making stay down, he held a dagger that was curved at the tip. The boy was on top of me, he may have looked weak and skinny but he had strength. His face was obscured by the hood, but i could just make out a faint scar on the right of his chin, the same scar Hiccup had, and bright green eyes shone from behind the hood, the same forest green that Hiccup inherited from his mother. Then something else caught my eye. A pendant, hanging from the boys neck. The Berk crest, craved from amber, it was Valka's necklace, i had given it to her as a birthday gift, and when she was taken by a dragon during a raid i passed it onto Hiccup. It couldn't be.

I snapped out of my thoughts when the boy was pulled off me by Gobber and my brother Spitelout. As Gobber restrains the boy, Spitelout comes over and offers me a hand. I look at the boy, he resembled Hiccup so much. The same pendant, same scar, same eyes, he was like the reincarnation of Hiccup. A roar sounded from the Night Fury, it was wailing towards the boy as if it was fearing for his safety, the boy _roared_ back as a reply, he knew their language? I'll get answers later, but right now i have a Night Fury to kill and a son to avenge. I had dropped the axe when the boy jumped me, but i still have my sword. I take one look at the boy and notice there's tears streaming down his cheeks. I'll deal with him later. I unsheath my sword from the scabbard that was hooked onto my belt.

"NO STOP! DON'T KILL HIM! PLEASE!" I hear the boy shout, so he can talk. For now i ignore his cries. I walk towards the dragon, sword in hand. I look at the dragon green acidic eyes and they look like their pleading me not to do it, but i have to, for my son. I raise the sword over my head, the blade aiming for the neck of the beast. I bring the sword down, with all my strength and anger, until i hear-

"NO DAD! STOP!"


	6. Chapter 6: Dust & Hope

**Dust & Hope**

_Hiccup's_ POV

The blade stopped an inch away from Toothless' neck, the grip on my arms had softened and everyone was looking at me in confusion. Stoick had moved the sword away from Toothless and set his gaze on me, staring with bewilderment. I felt Gobber's grip release completely and heard him back away as my father walked over. I backed up a bit when he got close but only to bump into Gobber's belly.

"What, did you call me?" Stoick asked, still walking towards me.

I was speechless. I couldn't find words as my brain had shut down from the situation that's occurring. My father had stopped in front of me and Gobber, moved back to give space. I certainly got taller over years as I was at the height of Stoick's shoulders, but he still towered over me. I dare not move, my feet wouldn't of obeyed anyway. I was frozen. Seeing as his can't see my eyes, I dart them around hoping to find something to help me and Toothless get into the forest. I spot my spear on the ground, lying in a patch of grass, if i could get past my father, grab the weapon and get Toothless out here and into the woods, i can visit Gothi tomorrow and be back home on my island. The only problems are, is how do I get passed my dad and get an injured Night Fury safely into the forest? _Oh_ _Thor_ _Almighty_, this just isn't my day. Well here goes nothing.

But before I could move, I noticed Stoick was standing even more closer to me. Because I was lost in thinking about how to get Toothless, out of here, I had forgotten about my father. He stared down at me with disbelief in his eyes. My father slowly brought up a hand and gently grabbed the back of my hood, and pulling it down. In the past five years, I rarely cut and combed my hair, so my hair was shaggy, and stuck up in places, and since my hair wasn't regularly trimmed, it went down to my shoulders and fell over my eyes. To make it easier, to gain a dragons trust, I had to appear more dragon than Viking. The dragon scale clothing was one thing, the other thing making me look more wild was the clips in my hair. With some leftover scales from Toothless and Gronkle Iron, I was able to fashion some clips that I attached to the ends of my hair at the back of my head, with the scale dangling from the clip. I also had a few crystal beads and an owl feather hanging by a string, keeping it tied and connected to a lock of auburn hair. While it may have looked weird, they made my job easier.

"Hiccup?" I heard my dad whisper. I didn't think my heart could beat any faster, but it was beating so fast, I thought my heart would burst from panic. "Is that you?"

I ran a hand through my messy hair, scales and beads clicking together. I cast my gaze to the ground, making a long and guilty sigh. He's already seen me, and he's already guessed who i am. Might as well tell him. I rub the back of my neck, trying to gain the courage to announce myself. After a few shaky deep breaths, i calmed down and let the truth fall out.

"Yeah, it's me" i reply in a whisper "I know what you're going to say, dad. 'How could i have done this?' Run away with a Night Fury, and not come back to tell you the truth about what happened five years ago? Well, what sign throughout my life on Berk, did i have, that you would listen? Since you never did. I tried so hard to make you proud of me, but you only pushed away" I start to back away a bit, getting nervous by the way he gripped his sword. "I know i caused a lot of trouble for you, so i thought if i left and was out of the way, you wouldn't have to worry about me anymore, just forget about me, but I was wrong, I see that now" Finally i meet his eyes, and realise he isn't listening to anything I'm saying. He just keeps staring at me with shock and disbelief. I notice his hand gripping the sword handle tighter, as if the it was the neck of someone he truly despised. Looking into his eyes, I try to find any sign of hate, disgust or anything to let me know I'm unwanted. I see nothing. However, the way he is approaching me and holding the sword is enough to convince me. But i'm still determined to make him listen, even if it might cost my life. '_Please Odin, make him listen' _"Stop ignoring me, Stoick, since that's all you've ever done!" I continue, but this time yelling "Go on! Shout, scream, hit me for all i care! But, for once in your life would you please just listen?! Can you even hear me?!"

I didn't know if he could, as he just kept staring at me. During my little rant I had backed up against a nearby tree, and with a Viking Chief cornering you there and the villagers surrounding the area, there was no where to run. Stoick lifted his left hand and placed it on my right shoulder, holding it there in a vice grip, his right hand tightened around the handle of the sword and I watch as he raises the weapon slightly. Closing my eyes and waiting for the death blow, I prayed for Toothless to be alright. But what happened next, took me by surprise. Hearing metal meet dirt, I snap my eyes open, my fathers sword had been thrown to the ground, standing like a wooden warning sign impaled in the ground. Confused, I turn my full attention towards my father, whose grip had loosened on my shoulder. Was my father..._crying?_

Without warning, my father engulfed me in a strong and loving hug. It wasn't one of his bone crushing hugs, but a warm and gentle one. He held me like a precious object that was too valuable to let go of. I felt one of his hands move to the back of my head and gently stroking my hair, testing if I was real. Then my dad said something I couldn't comprehend.

"I'm just happy you're home, son"

I wasn't quite sure what to do, I just stood there paralysed, wondering where all this affection is coming from. Hearing light and small sniffles that came from my father, pained my heart, it was a stinging of emotional pain like a dagger had been plunged in me. My Father still loved me. The feelings of guilt, sadness and love soon overwhelmed me and I just, let it all out. The tears came gushing like a blown up dam, followed by the guilt of leaving my dad alone for five years, which caused me to throw my arms around him, returning the embrace.

"I missed you, dad," I said, barely a whisper "I'm so sorry I left. C-Can you forgive me?" He must of heard me as he drew me closer and tightened his hold, i took that action as a reply saying, 'yes'. Tears fell from my eyes and dripped over my chin and soaked into dad's tunic, i felt his tears splash on my shoulders and heard his sniffles. It must've killed him when he found out i was gone. Eventually we let go of each other and stepped back at an arms length away. Stoick wiped the tears away with his finger and i did the same with the back of my hand. I turned to see the villagers all staring and saw Gobber frozen on the spot, his chin quivering. I knew he was about to burst, so I counted the seconds.

_'1...2...3...'_

_"_HICCUP!"

Just like that, Gobber came running/fast limping to me with arms out wide, joy and happiness covered his face by the huge smile he wore. He pulled me into a bone crushing hug, I wouldn't say this out loud but, I kind of missed them. Gobber seemed to miss me a lot as he kept saying things about, when i worked in the forge with him.

"Oh lad, i missed ya. I missed ya helping me change my hands, showing off your odd inventions. I even missed ya witty sarcastic remarks," Gobber babbled "don't leave again" and with that he pull me closer and tighter, cutting off my breathing and he pinned my arms to my side so i could barely move.

"Gobber? I can't breathe." i point out. He let me go and i could see tears starting to form from his eyes. "Gobber don't cry otherwise, you'll make me start crying again"

Too late. The tears fell before i could prevent them. I wiped them away as quick as i could, crying twice in five minutes, just my day. A weak and annoyed roar caught my attention. I just suddenly remebered Toothless! How could i forget about him? I jogged towards him, kneeling by his side, i felt a headache coming on, but i pushed it away, as the concern of my best friend took over the my own well-being. Toothless was lying on his right side, whimpering in pain. The false tail was ripped off by the bola, so i'll have to rebuild it, besides Toothless won't be flying for a while. When he hit the ground he landed on his right wing , causing it to break. He won't be happy. There was also a long scratch on his front left leg, we need Gothi, and fast.

"Toothless, you won't be able to fly for a while" i tell him "You've got a broken wing and the tail is gone"

"_Not like i don't know that_" he remarks

"I'll go get Gothi" I stand and turn to face my dad and Gobber and walk over to them "Dad!" i call "Don't hurt that dragon!"

"Why?" he questioned

"I'll explain later. Right now i need you to..." and that was all i could say before the feeling in my legs vanished and i crumbled to the ground with a severe pounding in my head. I could hear my father and Gobber's worry toned voices and felt dad's hands trying to lift me up, and the last thing I heard was Toothless' panicked cries before I was overtook by darkness.

_Stoick's POV_

I didn't know what happened. One moment Hiccup was perfectly fine then the next he just fell to ground. I drop next to him with Gobber on my left, equally as worried. I took hold of Hiccup's arms and pulled him into a sitting position, his head resting against my chest. His eyes were scrunched up, so it looked like he was in pain, I noticed he was shaking and his skin was hot to the touch and his breathing was ragged and shallow. He wasn't like this when I hugged him. What in Thor's name is going on?

A roar caught my attention, and I looked up from my son to see the Night Fury, trying to stand up. Hiccup said not to harm it and that he'd explain later. Once the dragon stood up on shaky legs, it started to limp its way over. As Vikings we had natural instincts, to kill a dragon on sight, but Hiccup said not to and that's exactly what I'm going to do. The Night Fury stood by us and let out a worried whimper. It started to nudge Hiccup, occasionally licking his hand or face. I sent Gobber to go find Gothi and bring her to the house. Carefully i pick my son up and carry him my house, with the dragon following closely. The Night Fury was smaller than I imagined and seemed very loyal to Hiccup, not once had it tried to attack.

I told the villagers to go home and put out any remaining fires. Upon arriving at the front door of the house, I find out the door had been blown off in the dragon raid. I breathed a heavy sigh. _Second one this month. _I step through the doorway, the dragon was curiously and cautiously sniffing the floor, before it walked in. I wasn't too comfortable with having a dragon in my home, but I'm willing to make an exception this time. Hiccup shifted slightly in my grasp, releasing a some what painful groan, quickly I made my way upstairs into Hiccup's old room, pulled a white dusty sheet off the bed, spraying the dust evrywhere and set him down carefully on it. I hadn't stepped a foot in here ever since Hiccup left, it brought back memories of him being a little boy, scared of thunderstorms. The whole room was left untouched, it has been that way for five years, I decided to place white sheets over the furniture to catch the dust. Hiccup moaned a little in his sleep, catching the attention of the dragon who made a beeline towards my son, and sat itself down next to the bed, never taking its sight off Hiccup for a second.

I heard footsteps entering the house, signalling Gobber and Gothi had arrived. They both made their way up the stairs and appeared at the bedroom doorway. Gobber had Hiccup's spear in his hands and rested it against the wall. I watched as Gothi made her way to the beside, examining my son. She put the back of her right hand against his forehead and waited a few seconds, next Gothi, pulled up the left side of his tunic a bit and her eyes widened. Something was wrong, but what? Without warning, Gothi hurriedly searched through her bag of medicine, pulling out a wooden bowl and spoon, a couple of vials filled with clear liquid and one filled with white powder, leaves and roots of plants I didn't recognise, a canteen of water and a cloth. She instantly went to work. Me and Gobber watched as she took the piece of cloth and poured some water on it, and began to dab and clean -what I suspect is a wound. Once she was sure it was cleaned to her liking, Gothi took the leaves and roots, tearing them up and putting them in the bowl. Next she got the two vials of liquid and mixed them with the teared up ingredients, and stirring it with the spoon. The liquid seemed to have eaten the leaves and roots, leaving nothing but a thin layer of what used to be plants. Gothi grabbed the third vial and emptied the powder in it, into the bowl, stirring until it created a thin paste.

Hiccup winced in pain as she applied the paste. Gothi then pulled out a roll of bandages and started wrapping them around his waist. She took another cloth and drenched it with water, wrung it out (not bothered by the puddle of water), and placed it on Hiccup's forehead. _He must have a fever. _It is the only reason I can think of. Gothi then excused herself from the room without any explanation of what happened. I look towards Gobber, who was entertaining himself with the spear my son used as his weapon. He seemed to have found a switch that changed the positions of an axe head and a spearhead as he kept flicking that switch and repeatedly changing the weapon heads. I glare at him in annoyance. He seemed to have understood the message and put the spear down again and nervously exited the room.

The Night Fury let out a worried coo and slowly wondered over to Hiccup's old closet, where he removed the sheet, creating an explosion of dust. It sneezed twice, but didn't seemed too phased by it and opened the door of the closet by grabbing the handles with its teeth. _The dragon knew how to open doors? _It then pulled out a blanket with small holes in it and dragged it over to the bed where Hiccup peacefully lay. The dragon then clumsily draped the blanket over Hiccup, trying to keep him warm, I sound of light tapping coming from the staircase caught my attention, and saw that Gothi had returned with equipment of two long sticks, bandages, her medicine bag and a fish. The dragon had laid down beside the bed and allowed Gothi to walk over to him withot a care in the world. I watched as Gothi put the fish in front of the Night Fury, which it ate gratefully, and gave a loud and gentle..._purr?_

Gothi moved to the side of the dragon and extended its right wing, feeling where the bone was. When the dragon had let a pained whimper she began to place the two long sticks on both sides of the wing so the wing was in between, my guess was that she was making a dragon splint. If it's possible. I grabbed a chair from the corner and removed the white sheet as gently as possible, to not cause an explosion like the Night Fury did. Something about the dust was making me feel something, but i wasn't so sure what it was. Setting down the chair next to the bed and taking a seat, i look at my son who I haven't seen in five years. He had changed so much. He used to be small and fragile, but now he's grown and gained confidence, as well as strength. Hel! He even bested me in combat. He is not the same boy, from five years ago. He is a man.

I look to the dragon to find it sleeping soundly, it's leg bandaged and wing in a splint. I have to admit it did look a little cute. For the past five years i have searched far and wide looking for that dragon, I remember the day when I swore to avenge my son.

_I just returned from taking a completely drunk Gobber back home. I keep telling him he drinks too much, but he just shrugs it off and replies 'No I don't. I just drink the right amount too often' Maybe I can ask Spitelout to knock some sense into him. Reaching the door of my house I notice the light coming from the main hall fireplace. Hiccup's not asleep yet? Surely he would put the fire out when he went to bed. I open the door and stepped into the house while shutting the door. I glance at the fireplace and find the cauldron on the floor, lying in a puddle of soup. What happened? A heavy thud coming from Hiccup's bedroom caught my attention. _

_"Hiccup?!" i call "Are you up there?" I look back down to the fireplace "What happened to the cauldron?" i whisper_

_I begin to walk up the stairs, i hadn't heard a reply from Hiccup. He must've been really tired to not wake up by my voice. Eventhough he was a troublemaker, and we occasionally got into arguments, i did listen sometimes. Especially, when we had that fight about me shouting in Hiccup's ear when my voice was already loud enough to 'break his eardrums when i speak normally'. As i reached the top of the staircase i could see light shadows from underneath the bedroom door. Hiccup was still up? yet he didn't answer me. Gobber and Astrid have been saying that he's been acting a bit weird lately. What's going on? I knock on Hiccup's door then heard some sort of pottery shattering after a few seconds, that got me really worried_

_"Hiccup?! Answer me!" i order "Are you alright?!" I try turning the door handle, but find it locked "Hiccup! Open the door! What's going on?!" I start to bang on the door, i knew Hiccup was a smart boy and could make any weapon and was very good at creating locks. My banging turns into a heavy pounding and the door eventually gives, pushing it off its own hinges i entered in, just in time to see a black shadow fly by the window. _

_I took in Hiccup's room, i rarely come up here. There was a shattered vase on the floor, the pieces laid out like a cobweb. There was no sight of Hiccup, the bed was ruffled and warm to the touch. Looking around i spot something on the floor, a small, shiny black object. i crouch down and pick it up. Studying it, i see it was a dragon scale. I then see small specks of blood. It was Hiccup's. The broken vase, the black dragon scale and my sons red blood, it was enough to convince me that my son, was taken and murdered by a dragon, a Night Fury. i screamed in frustration and pain of losing my one and only son. 'I have failed you Valka. I have lost our son.' I pray 'Please take care of him in Valhalla. Please' And for the first time since my wife was taken, I cried and vowed I would hunt down and kill the Night Fury for killing my son. I promise, I will. Even if it means I have to travel to the edge of the world. I will avenge my son._

Before, I would have taken the dragons life for killing my son in a heartbeat, but now I know the truth. Hiccup wasn't taken, he ran away. Why? I don't know, all I know is he did it for a very good reason. Until now I notice a long thin scar running down his left cheek. Wonder how he got that. I was pulled out of my thoughts when I felt a hand on my shoulder, turning I see Gothi offering me a comforting smile, telling me everything was going to be alright. She took her leave, and headed downstairs to join Gobber in the main hall. I tilt my head towards the ceiling, silently saying a prayer in thanks '_Thank you Odin, for this wonderful gift. For a second chance to be with my son' _

I settle my gaze on floor, which was littered with layers of dust. The dust, just made me feel hopeful, not happy, not relived, hopeful. Hopeful for a better and brighter future, a future where I can amend my mistakes, I had made towards Hiccup. The disturbed dust tells me this. I have to stop living in the past and start thinking about the future. I have my son back, and I am going to be a better father. For Hiccup. For Valka.


	7. Chapter 7: Trouble Already

**Trouble Already**

_Hiccup's POV_

I woke up with a pounding headache and a throbbing feeling in my left side. Forcing my eyes to open, I took in my surroundings with a blurry vision. I seemed to be in a bedroom, it had a familiar smell of forest, rainwater and charcoal, I knew I wasn't in Gothi's hut because her place smells of medicine and herbs. I try to sit up, but that was a mistake as when I tried to, my left side exploded with pain so instead I rolled over to my right side and got a better view of my surroundings. The first thing I noticed was that the bed was a little bit small for me as my feet dangled off the edge. The room was cold, even though the window wasn't open to let the Winter wind in, all the furniture was covered by a white sheet, except the bed, wardrobe and a small chair next to me. There were drawings of inventions and people, on the bedside table was a small painting done by a child of a man, a woman and their son, with my vision clearing I recognised the family. It was my family. I had painted it when I was seven years old. My dad hadn't thrown it out?

Finding some strength, I sat up slowly wincing at the pain and I realise where I am now. I'm in my old room. Everything is just the way I left it, except for the cobwebs and layers of dust but, pretty much everything looks normal. I see Toothless sleeping on the floor next to me, his wing is in a splint and his front leg bandaged up, and speaking of bandages, it was only now I notice the tight wrappings around my waist where the injury was. The wound didn't hurt as much then it did yesterday, so I'll have to be careful with what I do. A loud yawn caught my attention and I look to see Toothless waking up, he stretched his legs and back out slowly, like an overgrown cat trying not to irritate his wing and leg.

"Hey Buddy" I quietly and hoarsely called in Dragonese.

This caught his immediate attention, as he suddenly turned around and leapt onto the bed, he began to lick and nuzzle me, being careful about my injury. Toothless then laid down on top of me, purring with affection and nearly cutting of my breathing.

"Oof" I exclaim "Toothless, you're heavy, I can't breathe"

"_I know_" he cheekily replied. Eventually he got off me, allowing air to full my lungs.

I realise that someone -most likely my dad- removed my dragon scale cloak and riding vest, looking around the room I didn't see any of the two nor my staff. Clattering from downstairs came to my heightened sense of hearing; when it came to hunting with Toothless, my senses of sight, hearing and smell improved. I could hear sounds that humans couldn't hear, see far distances that would take a spyglass to see and can smell anything in a 1 kilometre radius. I determine the voices radiating from the kitchen below as my father and Gobber, and by the smell of things someone was cooking. I hope it's not dad, he maybe the greatest chief in history but he can't cook to save his life. The only thing he could cook was, fish and cabbage soup, but even then it had its flaws. The smell from downstairs wasn't a pleasant one, my guess it was burnt chicken and boiled vegetables. Yeah, trust dad to do the cooking. Slowly I got up off the bed and made my way towards the door, with Toothless following closely incase my legs gave out. Cradling my wound, I push the door open, slightly creaking, and limped to the top of the staircase, from downstairs the voices got louder, and the smell of dad's horrible cooking intensified. Whoever taught him how to cook, didn't do a very good job.

Gathering courage, i made my way down the stairs, trying to not make a sound. Glancing into the kitchen i see my father and Gobber sitting at the dinner table, heavily engaged in a conversation, above the fireplace were two big fat chickens, getting overcooked and a small cauldron filled with boiling water and cabbage. I cringe at the sight of it, along with Toothless and listened to my dad and Gobber speak.

"Where could he have been all these years?" asked my father, with his head down and mind in deep thinking "And why didn't he come back?"

"Maybe, because he couldn't come back," states Gobber "or didn't want to. Not that i blame him, since we didn't really treat him all that well"

My dads head shot up and looked confused at Gobber's words "What do you mean?" he said aghast. Gobber just gave out a heavy sigh. "He never told you, did he? Well, 'bout time someone did," i watched as my father crossed his arms and rested them on the table, leaning forward he eagerly listened to Gobber, who told him things about my past life on Berk, that i kept to myself as to not cause more trouble, Gobber was the only one who knew what was going on. "When Hiccup was a lad, 'bout five or six, he started to be pushed around by the other kids. Snotlout being the worst. Came into the forge with grazes and bruises all over him, he just claimed he tripped and fell down a hill, I believed him at first seeming as how he's always falling over. But I soon became suspicious when he came to work one morning crying his eyes out. The boy was a wreck. That's when I found out about Snotlout and the others. From then on the beatings got worse. At first i just shook it off, thinking the teens would soon get bored and go find something else to do but I was proven wrong when one day i found Hiccup in the back room, curled up in the corner with bleeding cuts and a broken arm. I tried to help him, but he wouldn't allow me, he just kept saying he 'wasn't worth it'. Never had i seen him so broken."

I remembered that day. I was on my way to the forge when Snotlout came from behind and jumped me, it wasn't long till the twins joined in. That beating session went for twenty minutes they broke my right arm in two places, I was ten at the time. I never told anyone about it, except Gobber already knew what was going on. My fathers voice brought back to reality.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked

"Because I made him promise not to," I spoke unexpectedly. Both Vikings heads shot up and turned sharply towards me. "I didn't want to cause anymore trouble and seem weak to you, so i just decided to face it on my own. But, that was a decision i regret" The floor suddenly became interesting as i said this. The house was filled with deafening silence, no one knew what to say or was too unsure if they should say anything. I made a quick and curious glance at my Father and Mentor, they both were staring at the table, heads bowed in regret and finally understanding, never have i thought i'd live to see the day where my dad would come to his senses and listen to what i say.

"And to answer your question dad. Why didn't i come back? Well, what would you think of me, being alive and living with a dragon, a Night Fury to be exact. How could i come back? Besides, I never did have a good life here" I look to the fireplace and added, "You do realise you're condemning the chickens to Helheim, right?"

"Ah good," my father said standing up "That means it's ready"

"I think it was ready two hours ago" I mutter to myself.

A hour passed and we were all seated around the table with a plate of very burnt chicken and boiled vegetables, Toothless laid down on the floor next to me, his triangular head resting on his paws i knew Gobber and my dad were still weary of him, but as long as he didn't do anything rash everything would be OK. I picked at my food with a metal fork, keeping myself in my own mind; with Toothless not being able to fly for one and a half months we can't get back to the island, hopefully things there will be alright. I was so cooped up in my own mind that i didn't realise my father asked me a question until Gobber nudged my shoulder.

"Sorry" i said "What did you say?"

"I said: Where have you been all these years?" my dad replied

"I've been living on an island Northeast of here, as well as other places"

Stoick just nodded, processing the information. I continued to pick at my food not daring to take a bite of it, even Toothless won't eat it so, to satisfy him a bit I gave him the rest of the fish that Trader Johann gave us yesterday, he was a little upset that I didn't have any but reassured him that I'll ask some dragons to go fishing for us and, see if they can find another Salmon like that. Toothless was dozing off, regaining his strength so he could heal better, unlike me who should be in bed taking it easy instead of having an uncomfortable conversation with my father. We could never talk to each other without the feeling to kill the other or an awkward silence.

"You're not hungry?" Gobber asks

"No, not really" i reply. Actually i was starving, but i don't want to risked having my stomach upset for the next week. Gobber gave a small amused chuckle "Haven't changed that much, have you? Still the skinny and sarcastic apprentice from five years ago. But, you have developed some new skills, like last night, bested Stoick in a fight, i didn't think that it was possible. Where did you learn to fight like that?"

I hesitate at answering. I didn't want to tell them, what would they think? I'll never know till i find out, so i reply carefully and slowly. "I was...taught by..." I take a deep breath "...The dragons" Both Vikings stared at me in shock.

"Taught by dragons?" my father asked.

I nod. "They taught me a lot of things. Like hunting, fighting, being stealthy, as well as other things," They were still shocked at the information i told them, so i decided to give them so time to process it. "Hey, do you know where my dragon scale cloak is?"

"Yeah, on the chair over there" Gobber answered. I nodded my head in appreciation, got up from my chair and grabbed my cloak, sliding it over my shoulders and buckling the silver Night Fury clasp and also grab my staff that was leaning against the wall next to the chair and head for the back door.

"Where are you going?" my father asks

"Just for a walk. I need some air" and with that I left for the forest.

Being back in the old forest brought back most of my childhood, since I spent all my spare time in it. I remember when I found a hollow tree and used it as a place to keep something secret, but that ended when the others found out about it and destroyed it. After i left Berk, i left the past behind me, rarely thinking about the people and never considered of coming back to stay or let anyone know i was alive, i was a different person, i wasn't 'Hiccup the Useless' anymore but 'Hiccup the Dragon Rider' and 'Little Sparrow, whisperer of the dragons', those are the names i am going to live up to. But now I'm not so sure if I want to leave again.

I wander the forest not caring of where i'm going, I've walked these woods since I was four years old and know it like the back of my hand, dump me in any part of the forest I'll know the way back. I missed the crisp and moist air, it was always comforting and relaxing, it allowed me to clear my head when I was troubled. Continuing down the shallow and nearly invisible dirt path I notice a lot of the trees have been chopped down, even the one where I used lean against and draw or sometimes fell asleep if I stayed there too late. A low and sad coo made me stop, and turning around to find that Toothless had followed me clearly worried.

"_You alright_?" he asked

"Yeah. Just a little uneasy being back" i answer

"_I don't blame you_" Toothless states "_It's not everyday you return to the tribe that you left behind to keep a dragon safe. But you and i both knew that this day would come_"

"True. Though i didn't think it would happen now"

"_Neither of us did. But now it's happening, and you have to make a choice. If Berk allows you to stay, then you have to choose to be with your kind or continue the life you've been living the past five years. It's your choice, no one can tell you otherwise"_

"Why can't I choose both?"

"_You can if you want. However it will be very difficult to live two lives at once" _

Toothless was right. I have to choose between my life on Berk or my life with the dragons. With Toothless having a broken wing it gave me a chance to think things over, but I don't want to choose something over the other, I don't want to leave Berk again and I don't want to abandon the dragons. How can I do both things at once? The snapping of a stick brought me back to reality, Toothless growled and got into a defensive stance as did I, holding my staff out in front of me ready to defend and attack.

"Who's there?!" I yell "Show yourself!"

My patience was growing thin after a few moments, but was pushed away when whispering and footsteps came to my ears. All of a sudden an axe came flying from the left of me aimed at my head, i managed to dodge it by jumping upwards and landing on the handle of the axe just as it hit the tree next to me in a crouch position. I recognised the axe as Astrid's, and who else has such accuracy and power?

"Nice try Astrid" I call "better luck next time"

A frustrated scowl emitted from the woods and was soon carried on by fast approaching footsteps, judging by the sound of it there were five people. And I can guess who all of them are. Toothless growled louder as the rustling of leaves grew closer. Seconds passed and as i guessed, five figures emerged from the bushes brandishing weapons and murderous glares platered on their faces. Except for one. The one didn't wear any hatred, but wore astonishment and a little fear was Fishlegs. All of them had changed over the years, they had grown taller and upgraded their Viking attire.

Fishlegs, had wore his considerably large brown fur tunic; the fur was combed down instead of sticking up like it did five years ago, the think brown leather belt held three small rectangular compartment bags and a dagger sheath, his arm braces were covered in brown fur and tied with a length of leather, the small helmet placed on his head had its horns replaced by metal dragon wings, he had grown some facial hair and one of his sideburns had a braid in it. Judging by the glint in his eyes, he was trying to hide happiness and joy.

"Hiccup?" he asked in hushed tones. I answered with a smile.

Taking a look at the twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut, they too had renewed their look. Tuffnut had resorted to a somewhat deadly and dangerous appearance, the boots he wore were covered in sharp metal spikes, his pale blue tunic replaced by a dark blue one, and the also blue trousers switched to red, a dark brown fur vest that was stained dark blue in some areas, resting on his right shoulder was a sharp horned shoulder guard, his hair was now in dreadlocks, he kept his helmet the same and still wore the dragon tooth necklace.

Ruffnut stood beside her brother with a considering but disgusted stare, a spear in her hands. Her look was a bit _girly_, as the clothes she wore were yellow and purple. The wrappings on her arms were purple along with a long waistcoat-like garment and boots, the tunic, her fur vest and leggings were yellow and she also still had her dragon tooth necklace. Ruffnut then approached me until she was standing right in front of me and ignoring my personal space. The distance between us was about four inches, and i could tell she was examing me as her eyes kept moving to inspect different areas of my face.

"Whoa. Hiccup, you got hot. Hotter than Snotlout" she announced.

"That's a lot of crap!" Snotlout exclaimed "No one can get more beautiful than me"

I watched (with mentally bleeding eyes) as my older cousin emphasized his words by kissing his arm muscles, i looked away and clamped my mouth shut as my stomach did a few flips. I presumed Snotlout was named heir after my 'death' as he did have Haddock blood, his father Spitelout was Haddock by birth but changed his last name when he married Snotlout's mother. Snotlout had taken the image that resembled my father a bit, he wore a bluish green armoured vest with a black bear fur shoal with the Jorgenson's clan symbol on the buckle, his trousers were striped like my dads, brown leather braces tied tight by the wire like laces wrapped around his forearms, his belt with his family symbol on it hadn't changed as well as his helmet, and he too had grown facial hair.

"Sorry Snotlout," said Ruffnut "but Hiccup is definitely hotter than you" I blush at this, and couldn't believe she said that.

"Hey Fishbone," Astrid called "You going to let me get my axe?"

It was then I realised I was still crouching down on Astrid's axe from when she threw it at me. With an annoyed sigh I jumped down and grabbed the handle and pulled the blade out from the tree and gave it back to Astrid who snatched it from my hands. Out of all the five she had changed the most, she switched her blue shirt to a bright red one, she had kept her metal shoulder guards but had connected a fur hood to them that slithered around the back of her neck, the spiked skirt she wore five years ago was no longer slitted but joined together by fur, Astrid's boots went up to the bottom of her knees and were covered with beige coloured fur down to the ankles, she had exchanged the wrappings on her arms to a thick glove-like fur and her leggings now a brilliant dark blue with protective knee pads. When I turned around, everyone was looking at me in disbelief, their eyes were either going to pop out or their jaws were to the ground or both. What confused me was that Astrid stared at me in hatred.

"What?" I asked to everyone

"You just pulled out Astrid's axe" answered Tuffnut

"So? What's the big deal?"

"Two reasons," an annoyed Snotlout said "One: Last time we saw you, you couldn't lift any weapon except a dagger"

"And two," continued Ruffnut "Astrid has the most powerful throw any Viking has ever seen. Only Stoick and herself could get it out of the target with some _difficulty_. But you just pulled her axe out as if it was the easiest thing to do in the world. Not to mention, you also dodged one of her attacks"

"But more importantly!" shouted Snotlout "since Hiccup is back now, Stoick is most likely going to name him heir again!"

"_Now that does make sense_" stated Toothless. I roll my eyes at him.

"Snotlout, you don't have to worry. I'm not back. I'll be leaving as soon as my dragons wing is healed. I have no intension to stay and become the heir of Berk"

"Never the less, I'm going to make sure that I keep my status"

"Be my guest" I offer. A sharp blade of a weapon roughly poked at my shoulder. It was Astrid. She was pointing the blade of the axe towards me with a menacing glare.

"You don't belong here" she finalised

"No arguments here" I said as me and Toothless started to walk off, heading deeper into the forest.

"Hey!" Astrid shouted "We're not finished! Get back here!"

"Catch me if you can!" I shout back, I switch to Dragonese "Go hide in the cove, Toothless. I'll met you there"

"_Ok. Be careful_"

I nodded in response and watched as he quickly made his way to the cove, I took off in the opposite direction breaking into a sprint. Not too long after, I heard running from behind me and picked up my pace a little. As I suspected the others had followed me and were charging like a wild stampede of yaks. It was like running from the Whispering Death again, except this time I knew what I was doing. They didn't know these woods like I do, I know all the secrets. With the others in chase, I guided them through the thick trees. Astrid was yelling insults at me, she probably learnt them from the twins. I jumped onto a low tree branch, leaping to others and occasionally swinging on vines.

After about ten minutes of running, I started to grow tired. Since I haven't had anything to eat or drink in the past twelve hours I was losing energy, and fast. Turning in the direction of Thor's beach, I slowed my sprint hoping to store some energy for later. I was going to need it as the 'Unclimbable Wall' was about a hundred metres away.

The 'Unclimbable Wall' was twenty feet tall, and nearly as hard as a diamond. Many Vikings have tired to climb it but it was impossible, the surface was too smooth and vertical to climb and had narrow creases for hand holds. People tried to use tools and weapons, but the rock it was made of was so dense and tough that they could only lodge their equipment in about a centimetre, if you were strong enough, and when you tried to pull yourself up your tool or weapon would slip out. The highest anyone has gone is about one metre.

the distance between me and the wall was closing and fast. I rumage through the pockets concealed wthin my cloak, and pulled out a set of gloves, they were made of black leather that buckled at the wrists, dragon claws that i made out of silver covered my fingers. I mostly use these for Monstrous Nightmares and to climb cliffs and walls, these gloves have saved my life more than ten times, and now it's going to be eleven. I only have one shot at this, if i screw it up i'm in a whole heap of trouble. The wall was now ten metres away and i could hear Snotlout's enthusiastic cheering grow louder.

"Yeah! We got him now!"

Five metres away. Four. Three. Two. One.

I put all my strength into my knees, crouch down and leap, my arms reaching out for the wall, as if i was embracing it. Once the claws of my gloves touched the surface of the rockface, i transferred half of the strength from my knees to my arms, using it to pull myself up. I couldn't stop. Keeping my eyes and focus locked onto the top of the wall, i gained speed and let my actions carry me all the way. My arms pulled and legs pushed, i was like a cat climbing up a wooden post. I felt like i was flying with Toothless, letting my heart guide my movements, and trusting my it by knowing 'i can do this'.

Shortly, i found myself at the top of the wall, lying on my back panting for breath. I smile starts to crawl its way on my mouth as well as a laugh forms from my throat. I did it. I climbed the 'Unclimbable wall'. Sitting up, i look over the edge of the cliff and see the young Vikings staring up at me in disbelief and shocked, utterly flabbergasted and gobsmacked. Astrid's expression suddenly changed to annoyance and loathsome.

"Hiccup!" she roared "Get back down here"

"Now why should i do that?" i asked teasingly

"Because, we all challenge you to a fight." Snotlout replied "Bring your weapon of choice, no armour. If you lose, you give up your title of heir and leave berk forever"

"And, if i win?"

Astrid spoke before Snotlout "That's for you to decide"

I thought for moment. There was no getting out of this, the person who's challenged can't decline, especially if it was for the role as heir. Might as well get this over with.

"Alright." i answer "When and Where?"


	8. Chapter 8: Fight for the Title

**Fight for the Title**

_Hiccup's POV_

We were standing in the middle of the arena with the whole of Berk, witnessing. Word of Snotlout challenging the 'lost heir' spread like wild fire throughout the village, everyone had rushed to the kill ring to watch. Dad wasn't too happy, but there wasn't much he could do, I had accepted the challenge and this was between me and the others. Toothless wasn't happy either, he said: '_By accepting the challenge, you've already made the choice of which life you are going to have. The only way to still have a choice now is to win the fight and talk to your father about this' _I planned to talk to him after the match about the title 'Heir of Berk' it might be a little of a disappointment for him but I'm sure he's used that by now, plus I need time to make my choice.

It was noon and everyone was in an uproar. I stood in the middle of the arena, wearing my dark blue tunic, black pants and boots, with my staff in hand. Toothless was behind the gate watching with worried eyes; I left my dragon scale cloak and riding vest with him seeing as Snotlout said no armour. Glancing up, I saw my father sitting in his chair overlooking the kill ring with Gobber by his side, they too bore worried faces, even though they both know I can best my dad as if it was a walk on the beach, they still care for my safety. I had Toothless lick my wound before I came to the arena, seeing as Night Fury saliva has incredible healing powers, it shouldn't hurt that much in the fight. The others were at the far wall opposite of the gate, occasionally casting glares at me (except Fishlegs). I took the time to study each of them, Snotlout was arrogant, selfish and shoots first asks questions later, a distraction of some sorts would diminish his concentration. If he ever had any. The twins are uncoordinated and always fight against each other, the head butt they do, can be a tactical advantage for me, Astrid will be difficult, she won't fall for tricks that easily, but if she hates me that much, she'll try everything in book to beat me, she'll be in a rage. Fishlegs, i won't even bother, he doesn't want to be here, porobably was forced to come to fight. I won't fight him unless it is absolutely necessary.

My father stood with his hands held out, effectively silencing the crowd. "The challenge for the title of Berk, will now commence" I stayed in the middle of the arena as the others slowly formed a large circle around me. "Begin!"

As soon as my dad said that they all charged at me. With split-second thinking i leaped off the ground just as they were about to reach me, and glided over them with a mid-air backflip and landed in a crouch. Standing up i watched as they collided together, creating a large dust cloud that engulfed the whole arena. The audience was quiet and i could hear Toothless laughing by the gate. The dust cloud then settled and reavealed something that almost made me burst into laughter, the teens were beating each other up, Fishlegs was at the bottom of the pile pulling weakly at Snotlout's left foot, Astrid had Tuffnut in a headlock while he pulled on his sister's hair, Ruffnut was biting on Fishlegs right leg, and Snotlout had a hold on Astrid's waist. When they realised they weren't fighting me, i could barely contain my laughter.

Astrid was the first one to recover by shoving Snotlout off her waist with a hatful scowl and picking up her weapon and bolted towards me. She swung her axe and I ducked under it, leaving my right leg out and putting my left leg in, I turn anticlockwise tripping her. Snotlout came next, with a mace in his hand, he brought it down but just missed my head, I rolled away, got up and ran to one of the walls of the ring with Snotlout in pursuit.

"Yeah! You better run!" he gloated

"Who said anything about running?" I had reached the wall and placed my right foot onto the wall, carrying on with my left stuck in the momentum I ran up the wall, back flipping over Snotlout who was too distracted with my stunt to even notice the wall. When I landed on the ground I heard my cousin collide into the wall with a loud thump. I smiled at the sound. The twins were next. They were on either side of me hunched down and sliding they feet against the ground like a wild yak. I knew what this meant, a head butt. Perfect. At the same time they ran at full speed and power with their heads down like a raging bull. I took a step back just before they rammed into me, so they banged head first into each other instead of me, they then fell unconscious from the shock of the impact and collapsed onto the ground. I turned ninety degrees to my right and saw that Fishlegs was clinging onto his too small hammer and making quiet whimpers. I won't fight him for two reasons, one: he looks like his about to wet himself and two: it would be cowardly to attack someone who means you no harm. So, I just simply said:

"Boo"

And with that he made a little scream, making him sound like a girl, and fainted, falling onto the ground with a loud thud. There was a sound of rushing footsteps from behind, they were light and heavy at the same time, strong yet soft, I knew who it was and changed the spearhead on my staff to the axe head and instantly turned around to block the incoming blow from Astrid's axe. The impact of the weapons made a clang and since my staff and the weapons it contains is made of Gronkle Iron, it shattered one of the blades on Astrid's axe. I pushed back causing her to stumble backwards a few steps. Astrid was gripping her axe handle so tightly that she could snap it in half, her face was red with rage and you could literally see steam coming from her nose and ears. With a Viking war cry lunged at me, leaping into the air axe held up high, I jumped to the height of her stomach and used a nerve attack by making a fist with my left hand and pressing hard into her stomach, jabbing her thighs with two fingers and rolled my knuckles into her lower spine, preventing any movement from her lower body.

Instantly she fell to the ground in mid-air onto her back, her axe skidding away. Astrid managed to roll on her stomach and tried to stand up but couldn't move her legs. I turned my attention to Snotlout and left Astrid cursing her heart out, this fight was between me and him. The twins and Fishlegs -who surprisingly recovered consciousness quicker than I expected- were trying to drag Astrid to a safe side of the kill ring. Snotlout had his mace in his right hand and had an overconfident smirk on his face with a hint of anger. The cheering from the crowd had long since stopped so everyone was watching with great interest, the only sounds you could hear were the ocean waves, the dragon roars from the cages in the arena and Astrid's cursing.

We circled around each other, I changed the axe to the spear head on the staff and held it to defend, we had stopped circling and stood facing one another and ran at the same time, Snotlout pulled his mace back ready to strike and as he swung I got down onto my back and skidded through his legs holding my staff over my head causing him to fall over face first into the floor. I got up and turned to block a blow from Snotlout, he pushed down hard and i pushed back, our weapons were locked together and eventually i had had enough and hooked my left foot behind his right leg and pulled, successfully tripping him over on his back. He rolled over to get up but I pushed him down by placing and sinking my right foot down on his spine while grabbing his left arm arm shoving it up his back and pinning his right arm to the floor, keeping him in a locked position. He yelled in pain.

"Argh!"

"Do you yield?" I asked shoving his arm up further.

"Yes! Yes! I yield!" I heard the crowd gasp in surprise, most were whispering about what just happened while the others just stared in bewilderment. Dad was the first to break the silence. "Hiccup wins the challenge!"

The crowd stayed silent and just stared at me with mouths wide open of shock, the only cheering that was heard was from Gobber who was clapping his hand against his hook while jumping up and down and cheering: "WOOOO! YEAH! wooooo" Eventually he quietened down when everyone turned to him, looking at Gobber like 'Seriously?'. I got my foot off Snotlout's back and let go of his arm. I extended my hand out to help him up but he slapped it away and got up himself and walked over to the others, Astrid was propped up against the wall still trying to stand.

"HICCUP!" she screeched "What in the name Hel did you do to me?!"

"Just a standard paralysis," I answered casually "It'll wear off in about ten minutes"

"No. You fix me up right now"

I sigh "Fine" I walk over to them, weary of the stares. "Ruffnut, Tuffnut? I need you to hold Astrid up in a standing position and keep her back straight" Reluctantly they obeyed my command, lifting Astrid from under her arms and keeping her steady on numb legs. I walk behind her, put my left into a fist and pressed my knuckles into the lower part of her spine. She arched her back upwards, it was a bit painful and she will wake up in the morning with a sore back but it works. I stepped back as Astrid stood -shoving Ruffnut and Tuffnut away- swaying a bit on unsteady legs, once she regained her balance she turned and glared at me with severe hatred. What did she have against me? I never did anything to her. I push away the thought for now and go over to the gate where Toothless was waiting, his front ivory black paws were leaning on the gate and was giving a cocky grin.

"What are you smirking at?" I ask

"_Oh, just the thought of Astrid chopping you to pieces," _His grin got even wider as he continued "_especially on your wedding day"_

_"_Where in Odin's name, did that come from?!"

_"You'll find out," _he replied cheekily _"in the meantime can i come in?_"

"Only of you behave"

"_Just open the gate_" Not wanting a plasma blast to the face I pulled the lever to open the gate and Toothless sauntered in with pride and as soon as he entered, hushed toned voices rose from the crowd, whispering things like-

"Is that a Night Fury?"

"Why isn't it attacking?"

"The boy's going to get himself killed"

Looking around, the whole of Berk was on edge, people with their weapons were anxiously fingering the handles of them and the people who didn't have weapons stood very still, afraid if they make a move then the dragon will attack but were still weary of it charging at them without reason. Keeping a hand on Toothless' saddle I slowly and carefully guide him into the centre of the arena; the others were standing to the side eyeing Toothless, and Father and Gobber, their faces practically said 'What in Odin's name is he doing?'. It was time to tell Berk about what happened five years ago, I'll admit I'm nervous but it has to be done, if not now then never. Just hope I don't screw it up, here goes nothing.

"Everyone!" I announce "I know you are wondering why I have brought a dragon- a Night Fury to be precise and how I managed to 'capture' it," everyone nodded their heads at that. "I know you all remember that particular dragon raid, where i claimed to have shot down the Night Fury. I was speaking the truth," loud and guilty gasps came from the crowd "This dragon that stands next to me is that same Night Fury. As you can see, i stand next to it unafraid; we have no reason to fear them and they have no reason to fear us."

"Lies!" Uncle Spitelout shouted "They've killed hundreds of us! They do that, because it is in their nature to kill!"

"And we've slaughtered thousands of them," i retort "They are no different than us, they fight to defend themselves, they raid us in order to survive! I know this because for the last five years I have been living with them, learning their ways, discovering their secrets and I have gained more knowledge than Bork ever did. They're not what we think they are. We don't have to kill them" The crowd was silent, no one dared to speak. Almost everyone.

"Hiccup," i turn to see Astrid "If what you say is true, then I want you to train me a dragon"

That caught me off guard. Astrid Hofferson wanting a dragon, this is really unexpected. I stare into her eyes for a bit and found what I was looking for. Selfishness and pride. She doesn't care about the dragon at all. I have to make her understand, it might take a while seeing as Viking's had serious stubborness issues, and Astrid would be one of the harder ones to get to accept dragons.

"Astrid," i reply "I can't just train you a dragon, if i do that then the dragon will be loyal and bonded to me not you."

"Well you're the 'dragon expert', make it loyal to me"

"I can't make a dragon loyal to you Astrid, _you_ have to gain its trust, friendship, loyalty not me"

"I don't care! I just want a dragon that I can use to stop the raids"

And just like that, I blew my top. "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" my yell echoed throughout the arena.

"WHAT DON'T I UNDERSTAND?!" Astrid yelled back.

"That I would just give a dragon to someone who'll use it against other dragons!"

"If it means protecting the village, then yes,"I stood my ground as she snatched a new axe that was hung on the wall along with other different weapons, turned and stromed up to me in a rage "You may not know this fishbone, but after you left the raids got worse. When i killed my first dragon, i swore to do anything that would help me to protect berk. I am Fearless Astrid Hofferson and i always get what i want, and no Runt who left for a dragon five years ago is going to refuse my wishes. Not now, not ever" With that she swung the axe at me, i ducked and grabbed her wrist flinging the axe out of her hand. Astrid scowled in annoyance and was about touse her other hand to hit me but before she could, i twisted her arm painfully up her back holding it in place.

"Let me make this clear, Astrid. I ran away with my dragon to protect him. After i left, i made it my goal to understand and help dragons, not to give them away to someone who only wants on for their own being and not knowing their true nature. So, don't go telling me what to do Astrid; i may have been willing to do anything for you but that was five years ago. And the Hiccup you knew is gone" i let go of her arm and walk over to Toothless. "Come on bud, lets go to the cove"

"_Hiccup! Watch Out! _" Toothless roared

A whooshing sound came behind me and i quickly step to the side with my right hand out as i spun to my left, catching the handle of the axe it flew through the air. I spin in a full circle, allowing myself to be pulled with the movement of the axe and once i did a 360 degree circle, i let go of the axe, flinging it sideways and towards Astrid. The axe caught Astrid by her neck and pushed her against the wall, while the blade embedded itself into stone. I stood there for a few seconds, watching as Astrid desperately tried to remove the axe from the wall but wasn't having any luck.

Turning around i see my father and Gobber standing by the gate with shocked expressions; well did just beat Astrid, their undefeated and strongest warrior. I was about to leave when Astrid started screaming her head off. "HICCUP! YOU SON OF A HALF-TROLL, RAT-EATING, MUNGE BUCKET. GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

"Now, why whould i do that?" i teased

"Because i'll kill you!" Astrid shouted

"Yeah, thats going to be a bit hard to do while you're trapped between an axe and a wall"

"Just get me out of here!"

"What's the magic word?"

"Hiccup" my father said sternly

I sigh "Fine. But promise me Astrid, that you won't attack me when i free you"

Astrid huffed, but complied "Yes, i promise i won't attack you"

I smile. Walking over i grab the handle of the weapon and pull as hard as i can; it was lodged quite deep in the wall, deeper than i expected but then again with Astrid's strength and mine combined i'm not too surprised. Finally, after some time of pulling and twisting the axe a bit it came out, and i think i pulled a muscle while doing so. Astrid crumbled to her knees, her hands grasping her neck and panting breaths, she sent me a glare of annoyance, hatred and..._gratitude? _I shook the thought away and head over to my father, i need to tell him i don't want to named heir yet, that i need time to come to a decision. I just know he's not going to like it.

"Dad?" i ask, catching his attention "Can you not announce me as heir yet?"

My father was confused "What do you mean by that?"

"I need time to make a choice."

"What choice?" my father asked, still confused.

"Dad, for the first fourteen years of my life i was ridiculed, pushed away and ignored. I was treated like i was nothing. But for the past five years i have felt loved and needed. By dragons! If i become heir again, then it's just not fair. I have made a good and wonderful life out there living with them, and they make me feel like i _belong_ with them. So, if you and everyone else wants me to stay, you'll have seven months to convince me to become heir again, if not i'll go back to living with the dragons."

My father bowed his head in understanding, when he lifted his head up he was sad. "Alright, i'll talk with the villagers and the Elders about this and see what they think"

I only smile.

_Stoick's POV_

_10 hours later_

I walked down the steps of the Great Hall after having a meeting with the elders, they said it alright for hiccup to do this but limited the time to five months. Earlier i had gathered the village to see if they wanted Hiccup as heir again, about seventy five percent said yes due to the fact he beat Astrid and myself, then it changed to ninety when i asked the people who said 'no' if they wanted Snotlout as future Chief, and that left Spitelout, Mildew and a twenty others who don't want Hiccup to stay. I had told Snotlout and the others to go home and rest as they were still recovering from the fight.

It was getting later by the minute and was growing more tired by the second and wanted to get home as quickly as I could, thank Odin my house was at the bottom of the staircase. After my son told me about choosing between us or the dragons he went to a place called 'The Cove' in the forest and haven't seen him since, so it came as a surprise when I walked through the front door to find Hiccup sitting at the dinner table with his head resting on folded arms fast asleep, along with the Night Fury also asleep by the fireplace. Without thinking I walk up to my son and lift him out of the chair and hold him bridal style while walking up the stairs to his room, this action resulted a few moans from Hiccup which woke up the dragon who followed me up the stairs and into the bedroom where it laid down beside the bed. I set Hiccup down on his bed pulling the blankets up to his chin and noticed that he was shivering; it was the middle of Winter and tomorrow was Snoggletog so I wouldn't be too surprised. I look around for anything that could keep him warm and the swaying of my fur cape got my attention. Smiling, I clipped off the cape from my shoulder guards and drape it over Hiccup who snuggled into the warmth. I whisper a goodnight to him, head back to the door, and just as I was about to close it I heard-

"Goodnight Dad"


	9. Chapter 9: Not so Fearless

**Not So Fearless**

_Hiccup's POV_

I woke up to feel the morning sun on my face and chillness of the wind flowing through the window. Today is Snoggletog, the winter holiday that allowed people to lift up their spirits during the harsh season. Frost had crawled its way through the timbers of the roof last night and snow was falling lightly like sifted flour. Metals clinks were coming downstairs from the kitchen, dad must still be home, which was rather odd he was usually performing his Chiefly duties early in the morning and coming back late at night, then i realise his Chieftain bear skin cape was acting as a blanket while I slept. I didn't remember last night that well, all I remembered was after the fight I left for the cove with Toothless then once it started getting dark, went back to the house and waited for my father to come home, but I must've fallen asleep. I don't recall much else except a faint memory of me saying 'goodnight'.

I bury myself into the blanket and the fur cape and try to go back to sleep, but was interrupted by a huff that exhaled warm air onto the back of my head, shifting my overgrown and mangy hair. I sent Toothless an annoyed glare and pulled the covers over my head to ignore him, but he wouldn't have any of that, so he started to push me with his head. Eventually, I gave up.

"Alright, alright, I'm up" I pull the blanket and cape off and swing my legs over the side of the bed while running a hand through my thick messy bed hair. I look to Toothless.

"Any particular reason, as to why you wanted me out of bed?" I ask

"_Three reasons actually,_" he states "_One, I want to go to the cove and play in the snow. Two, everyone else in the village is up. And three, you love Snoggletog and you never sleep late on it._"

I let out a sigh "Yeah I know, but being back here on Berk to celebrate it with my dad and the village, it just feels a bit awkward. Plus, why can't you go to the cove yourself?"

"_It's no fun without you or another dragon to play with_"

"Ok" I stand up and stretch my back along with a yawn. "Go ahead to the cove while I get ready, and I'll meet you there" Toothless nodded his head, climbed out the window and headed into the forest.

Heavy footsteps and creaking wood caught my attention. I turn around to face the door just as it opened and my father came in, squeezing his way through the door even after five years he didn't get it upgraded to a wider door frame.

"Good, you're awake. Breakfast is downstairs." he states

"Alright" is all I reply.

I walk past him and notice a mischievous grin on his face. "What's with the suspicious smirk?"

"What?" he replied "Can't a father be happy to spend Snoggletog with his son for the first time in five years?"

"Are you trying to make me guilty? Cause, it's working"

"No," he said while clipping the fur cape back onto his shoulder guards "I wouldn't dream of it" he gestured me to go downstairs with a slight wave of his hand.

We walked down to the main hall of the house where the dinner table had been set with cutlery and two plates of steaming yet slightly burnt eggs. My dad wasn't the best cook but i didn't care right at the moment, i haven't eaten anything for two days and my stomach can't stay empty forever. Taking a seat at the table i wait for my father as he headed towards the kitchen area, picking up a pitcher of water and two cups, he places them on the table pouring the liquid into the cups before taking sitting down himself. I pick up the fork and start eating the eggs, they weren't good but they weren't bad either. We ate in silence not daring to say a word and let the awkwardness carry on until he decided to break the ice.

"Hiccup, i talked with the elders and they have approved for your request for Snotlout, to remain the heir until you make your choice, however, they have shortened your time to five months" It pained me a bit, as two months were taken away but still, five months will be enough. My dad continued "And have aslo said that if you don't have an answer by the end of the time limit, you will have to become heir as you did beat Snotlout" That's true, and i guess the elders word is law. After a few minutes when we finished, and told dad that i was going to the cove to see Toothless, i put on my scale cloak, grab my spear and head into the forest to get to the cove.

I arrived at the cove sometime later and found Toothless jumping up and down on the frozen lake trying to catch the swimming fish underneath the ice, it was funny to watch and i tried to surpress my laughter as best as i could. Carefully, i made my way down into the cove, trying not to slip on some ice that had crawled over the rocks last night. Toothless must've haerd me coming as lifted his head and turned towards me then bounded over.

"_What took you so long?_"

"Sorry, had to eat breakfast with dad, and find out what the elders said" I reply

"_Understandable_" Toothless walked over and sat at the edge of the lake _"So, what did the elders say?_" he asked

"They said I have five months to make the choice, otherwise I'll have to be the heir since I beat Snotlout" i explained as i sat down beside him.

"_Seems about right_"

We talked for a bit longer until Toothless came up with the idea to dump snow on me, so began the snowball fight. That went on for at least an hour before we heard something coming from the woods, it sounded like grunting, metal against wood and cursing, curious, i told toothless to stay in the cove until i came back. Climbing out of the cove and into the forest, i follow the loud sounds of grunts; walking as quietly as possible, and holding my staff in a defence position. Judging by the voice it was unmistakably Astrid Hofferson and it is no surprise that she's out here. I scaled a tree and crouched on a branch, giving me a view on Astrid who was in a spacous area that was still canopyed by trees, she was throwing an axe with great strength and ferocity, her braid was a mess, clothes stained with dirt and sweat dribbled down her forehead. Panting heavily she threw the axe at the nearest tree and started to curse again.

_Astrid's POV_

I threw my axe at the nearest tree, pretending it was the head of that useless, ignorant twig, Hiccup. Why in the name of Odin did the village allow him to stay? He's a traitor! He left Berk, for no good reason! He should have been exiled or executed along with that dragon. Who knows what it could do?! My hatred started to boil past the limit and and began to punch the tree while cursing.

"That dragon-loving, rat-eating, no good, steaming heap of dragon sh-"

"WOAH!" someone yelled, cutting me off. "You know Astrid, i think you need to talk to someone about your anger management problems"

A figure was sitting on the branch of a tree. I watched as the person made his way down from the branch by hooking a spear he was carrying onto the branch and jump down. Unhooking his spear he came into the light and saw who it was.

"You." i snarl

'Yeah, me" Hiccup casually replied

I grabbed the axe from the tree and swung it at him, but he blocked it with his spear. I take my axe back and try for a blow to his legs, before I could though, he had curled his right leg around my left without me noticing and tripped me. I fell onto my backside and the axe had skidded away from me, I started to get back up again but he pointed his spear at in front of my face.

"Do you know why, you weren't able to beat me?" he asks

"You're too quick and strong" i replied with venom

"No, i just think," he taps the side of his temple. I look up at him in confusion "It's best to analyse your opponent first, see their strengths and weaknesses. Your strength is, you have learnt to use the axe since a young age and have become the best warrior in Berk, not just because your strong, but focused and independent."

"Yeah?" I scoff "What's my weakness then?"

"Your downfall is your anger. You let it control you and it blinds you. You don't see sense, you're not focused and coordinated. Trust me; i know"

I guess he's right. I let my rage take over me and it completely blinds me. Hiccup offered me his hand and i hesitantly took it, he pulled me up and grabbed the axe off the ground. He began to inspect it by hefting it up and down, swinging it in all directions and running his fiinger down the blade. "Did Gobber already fix your axe?"

"No," i state "You broke it beyond repair and my family doesn't have enough money to pay for it to be fixed. This is my mothers," I sit myself down on a collapsed tree "Even at Gobber's cheapest price for a new axe, we can't pay it" Looking downcast i think of my mother, she had died during a raid and the axe was the only thing i had left of her. It had gone blunt and rusty over the years, but it still worked to an extent. The sound of clinking metal made me look up and saw that Hiccup was detaching the axe from his spear. The blade was shinier than any metal i had ever seen, it looked to be polished to a greater shine than silver. It was confusing as to why Hiccup was doing that, but what was more confusing was that he was handing it to me.

"It's a bit a small but if you replace the handle with the one you had before then it should work"

"Why are you giving this to me?" i asked

"You said your family didn't have enough money to buy a new axe. So, i'm giving you one for free. Besides your better at the axe than me." He shoke the blade a little, coaxing me to take it; which i eventually did. He smiled and stepped back as he watched me examine the axe.

"It doesn't make sense, it's too light to hold up in battle yet it somehow managed to shatter my axe"

He chuckled "One of the many amazing finds in my travels. It is made out of Gronkle Iron. Feed the dragon its favourite kind of rocks, tickle its belly and out comes the strongest and lightest metal you've ever seen" I stare at him with small smile on my face. It's unbelievable. he would give me an axe for free, after all i did to him.

"Want to go for a walk?" he asked unexpectedly

And shockingly, i nod yes.

We had walked through the forest for a couple of hours, sometime during that Hiccup gave me some advice for the axe and to told me to hold it lower at the handle then throw it. Now we were sitting at the edge of a cliff near raven's point with the Night Fury Hiccup called 'Toothless', strange name of the most deadly dragon in existence but Hiccup showed me why. The Night Fury could retract its teeth and appear toothless; i wasn't really comfortable being close to a dragon, all my life i had believed that dragons were just mindless creatures who kill for no apparent reason, and now seeing that this Night Fury isn't attacking me and tearing me limb from limb, it just lays there asleep, calm and allowing Hiccup to rest his back on its 'shoulder' i'm beginning to question the ways of Vikings. Do we really have to kill them?

"Astrid?" Hiccup asks breaking the silence "I've been wondering. Over the last couple of days you have hated me and i don't why."

I knew this question would come, and he didn't know reason, he wasn't there. I guess, it's time to tell him. "Well, a year after you left, me and the others turned sixteen, we were called to Gothi's hut to cast the runes and see our futures. It came as a shock to Ruffnut and Fishlegs that they would end up together," i heard Hiccup try to surpress a laugh "We all wonder how that will happen. Snotlout and Tuffnut's futures weren't very clear so we have no idea. When it came to me, the runes were very specific. They said i would marry the first man to beat me in a fight. Ever since that day, Snotlout's been trying to beat me. He never did. But, that day in the forest when i chucked my axe at you and saw how you dodged that, i started to suspect you might be the one. And i was right."

"Astrid, i know the runes are always right. They say who you'll be with, but they don't say when."

"What are you saying?" i ask

"I'm saying before this whole marriage thing, we get to know each other. We barely know anything about one another"

"Hiccup, I have been preparing myself, ever since that day to accept the man i would marry, but i wasn't prepared for this. I called myself 'Fearless' in the arena to convince myself to be prideful and confident, trying to make me believe I'm not scared. But in truth I'm terrified."

"Astrid, you're not fearless," he pointed out "No one is"

"I should be! I'm not afraid to die!"

"Just because you're not afraid to die, doesn't mean you're fearless. In the past five years I've met great warriors who people called fearless, yet when I asked them why they were fearless they said they weren't. They run into battle with fear in them, fear, that they might die knowing that they failed to protect the ones they love. They're the same as you. You love your family and you protect it." Hiccup sighed while running a hand through his thick and looked out at the now setting sun. "Fear is an emotion we all have Astrid. It's a part of us. If we don't have fear we don't have love. Fear can seem as a bad thing sometimes, but it actually proves something good."

"Yeah?" I challenge "What does it prove?"

He turned and looked at me, his big forest green eyes reflecting the light of the sun "It proves you're human"

A spark of realisation hit me; he was right. No one is fearless, not even my uncle Finn.

"We should head back. It's getting late"

He stood up and nudged the dragon with his foot, the Night Fury replied with an annoyed grumble but lazily got to its feet and walked back into the forest with Hiccup following. It was unusual to see a person with a dragon, but if Hiccup stated around for a bit longer I could get used to it. We walked through the forest and back to the village, chatting along the way; he told me about some of his travels to other islands and countries as well as different cultures and exotic languages like Latin, English and Dragonese. After a while I became curious as to why he trained a dragon and left unexpectedly so I asked, and he answered with slight hesitation.

"Astrid, all my life I wanted to prove I could kill a dragon and be a Viking. And that changed when I shot Toothless down. I found him wrapped in that bola in the middle of the forest, completely defenceless. I was about to kill him until..."

"Until what?" I asked curiously

"Until, I looked in his eyes," I frown confused "When I looked in his eyes, I then realised I wasn't going to kill a monster, a monster was going to kill him. And I couldn't and I wouldn't kill him because...he looked as frightened as I was. I looked at him, and I saw myself. As time went by Toothless and I became friends and I was able to build a new tail for him."

"New tail?"

"Yeah," he replied "When I shot him down he crashed into the woods and his left tail fin ripped off. So, I built him a new tail and helped him fly again."

I nodded in understanding and we continued to walk. By the time we reached the village it was night a it was deserted, there were distant voices from the Great Hall of laughter and the sounds of music were carried through the wind.

"Hey," I caught Hiccup's attention " I'll meet you at the Great Hall"

"Ok" he agreed. I turned in the direction of my house. I needed to get something for Hiccup, and had to make some Yaknog

_Hiccup's POV_

I stopped by my house to drop of my spear and asked Toothless if he wanted to come or not and he said he'd like to, but if anyone tried to attack him or me he'd blow the Great Hall up. I rummaged through my satchel searching for some items I could give to others. After a few minutes I found the things I was looking for, I emptied out my bag and put the items in there along with a small pouch of red berries. We made our way to the Hall, speaking to each other about the maintenance of our island.

"_What about the Terrors?_" asked Toothless "_Who'll organise them?"_

"Sharney can," I answered "She's capable of giving orders to them"

"_And the Tidal dragons? There's not that many fish in the ocean anymore. The Queen is picking the sea clean; pretty soon there'll be none left."_

"We'll have to ration the food for now and send some scouts to find schools of fish in further oceans. And every load of fish the Scauldrons and Thunderdrums bring in, have a third of it preserved in ice for the next winter, that should keep our heads above water for now."

"_For now. How are you going to tell them?"_

"I'm going to have to train another dragon to pass on the message, and we're stuck on the ground for four weeks because of your broken wing"

"_I know_," he states "_Its depressing_"

We walked up the stairs and into the Great hall, a few people stopped what they were doing but we ignored them and made our way to an empty table. I grabbed myself a chicken leg and three raw fishes for Toothless. Aswe ate our food Fishlegs came over and sat down at our table.

"Hey Fishlegs," i greeted "Happy Snoggletog"

"Happy Snoggletog, Hiccup," he said "Sorry about what happened yesterday. Snotlout and the others forced me to come along and fight, eventhough i didn't want to-"

"Fishlegs," i said, cutting him off "It's alright. You have nothing to apologise for. Besides i could tell you didn't want to be there."

"Oh, well thanks. Listen, i was wondering if we could be friends again. I know i said didn't want to be friends when we were kids, but that was becuase i wanted to hang out with the others, you know to fit in more. I didn't know it would cause you so much pain."

I placed a hand on his "It's in the past. We can be friends again," He breathed a sigh of relief "Oh, i have something for you" I searched through my satchel and fished out two books and put them on the table. "Some things i picked up on my travels" The first book was the size of the Dragon manual, it was a book of every species of dragons I'd encountered, and studied. The second book was one of Botany that I picked up from a far away island, home to an unknown tribe called The Melters who specialised in Blacksmithing.

"Wow. Hiccup, I don't know what to say"

"Well I do. Happy Snoggletog, Fishlegs" Without warning he ran to my side of the table and pulled me into a bone-crushing hug.

When Fishlegs released me from the hug the doors of the Great Hall opened and Astrid came in balancing a shield on her left arm which held a jug and two cups. What caught my eye was what the jug was filled with, something that resembled curdled cream dripped over the edge of the jug and from my inhanced eyesight i could see bits of hair sticking out.

"Um, Fishlegs?" i ask "Do you know what's in the jug that Astrid's carrying?"

"Unfortunately, yes" he replied "While you were gone, Astrid came up with a new tradition for Snoggletog. She calls it Yaknog. My advice, don't drink it. When snotlout tried it he cried"

Astrid spotted us and came over placing the shield on the table. "Happy Snoggletog, Hiccup" she greeted "I made some Yaknog for you" She poured some of it into one of the cups and pushed it into my hand with an excited smile on her face. Fishlegs told me not to drink it, but there wasn't anyhting i could do to avoid it, so i brought the cup to mouth; and before it reached my lips, Fishlegs had distracted Astrid so her back was turned towards me, he was showing her the books i gave him and seeing the chance i gestured for Toothless to come and let him sniff the contents of the cup. After he finished sniffing he put on a goofey toothless smile and opened his mouth, i pour the Yaknog into his mouth and he swallowed it instantly.

Astrid turned around and saw the cup was empty "Wow, you finished the whole cup. You must've liked it lot. Would like some more?"

"Uh, no thank you, i'm-i'm good"

"Ok then. I'm going to spread some more holiday cheer around. See you guys later"

We waved a goodbye and was about to thank Fishlegs for the save until my father got up and silenced everyone for an announcment. "Everyone! Today we celebrate a holiday that has brought us joy for generations in the middle of the harsh winters" The whole Hall erupted into a cheer "But today, we not only celebrate this annual holiday, we also celebrate the return of my son, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third" Again the people cheered and clapped and some who were near me patted me on the shoulder and back.

It felt good to be home.


	10. Chapter 10: Please Pass the Yak Butter

**Please Pass the Yak Butter**

_Hiccup's POV_

The Snoggletog celebration had lasted late into the night and everyone except me and a few others were stone drunk. During the night I had become friends with the twins and Snotlout, as well as giving them some Snoggletog gifts. I gave the twins two sets of twin daggers that had the heads of a Zippleback craved into them, and gave Snotlout a large nugget of gold, dug out of the caverns of Mount Siren in the south; a land that was unexplored by Vikings but inhabited by pirates. I almost died there during a rock slide that caused the mine in the mountain to collapse. Some samples of Gronkle Iron I had were given to Gobber and to my father a pendant on a silver chain in the shape of a circle with a symbol of a pair of arms crossed over each other and the hands held a weapon, one with a hammer and the other with an axe, it was the symbol of a brave and trustworthy leader in the west. He took it with a proud smile.

The only one left was Astrid. Even-though I had already given her the axe head if my spear, I felt she deserved something better. And I knew what it was. So I asked to speak with her alone, and lead her out of the front door where she demanded to know why I dragged her out here in the cold. Hesitating at first, I told her about my encounter with a Flightmare and how it didn't freeze people with fright but with a spray of mist it disperses that paralyses its victims. Astrid sat with me on the steps of the Great Hall hugging her knees close to her chest, she stared blankly into the distance until her eyes overflowed with tears that ran down her cheeks. I thought it was too much so I start to move away, but Astrid grabbed my hand and pulled me back down and wrapped her arms around sat there for a few minutes, with her silently sobbing on my shoulder and me awkwardly hugging her. Eventually we let go of each other and said nothing while Astrid wiped the tears from her eyes; unexpectedly she punched me hard on the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"That's for making me cry," She gave me another punch "That's for beating me in a fight"

I rub the sore part of my arm, sending her an annoyed glare. Then even more unexpectedly, she gave me a small kiss on the cheek.

"And, that's for everything else" Astrid stood up without another word and went back into the Great Hall, Toothless then appeared by my side with a smug grin on his face. "_I'm thinking a spring wedding_"

"Shut up!"

***  
>It was early in the morning and I was at the Forge, sketching out some blueprints for Toothless' tail fin. I was wearing a grey long sleeved tunic that I had packed in my saddle bag for spare clothes, and wore a black fur vest with green thread embroidery along the edges of the sleeve holes and neckline. The vest was a gift from Astrid, she gave it to me last night before I went home for the night, it fit perfectly and was warm against the bitter cold.<p>

Gobber was at the grinding wheel, sharping a sword for a customer, while I was in the back room working until Astrid came in and knocked on the doorframe.

"Hey!" she greeted "me and the others are going to head up the mountain to have a snowball fight later. You want to come?"

It sounded like fun, so why not? "Sure," I answer "When is it?"

"An hour after lunch."

"Ok, I'll see you there"

Astrid waved a goodbye and left the Forge. As soon as she was out of the door I rushed behind the Forge and grabbed six planks of wood of about a metre and a half in length. All I need to do now is shape, sand, wax and paint them. If we're only going up a mountain for a snowball fight then what's the point of walking down it, acting like nothing happened after getting hyped from the game?

_Astrid's POV_

I didn't see Hiccup at lunch and we were already heading up the mountain. Before we left, i stopped by the Forge to get Hiccup, but he wasn't there so we went without him. Snotlout was blabbering non-stop about his going to beat us in the snowball fight, Ruff and Tuff each made a snowball and threw it in his face then ran up the slope with Snotlout chasing them. I hung back with Fishlegs, wondering where Hiccup could be. As we reached an area with trees and a surface that was flat we split up into teams, i went with Fishlegs while Snotlout and the twins teamed up. Fishlegs and i were building a barrier of snow, we were then stopped by a voice behind us.

"Sorry, i'm late," said Hiccup "Toothless wanted some fish, so we went to the market in the town square to get some"

"Its Ok," stated Fishlegs "At least we have you and Astrid on the team. You guys are going to kick their butts"

Hiccup smiled at that. "You guys need help with anything?"

"Yeah," i announced "Can you help me with this barrier while Fishlegs makes some ammunition?"

"Sure"

We finished our defence barrier and had plenty of snowballs to throw. Hiccup suggested that if he could hide in the trees then he wouldn't be seen and would throw snowballs at the other without them knowing where he was. It seemed like a good idea, but the only problem was that the trees had snow pliled on top of the and if he jumped from tree to tree the snow fall off and they would see him. Hiccup then came up with another idea and somehow called for two Terrible Terrors, he told them to take two snowballs each and hide in a tree. He then climbed up a nearby tree and waited.

Me and Fishlegs stood by the barrier, until i caught i glimpse of Tuffnut's behind, sticking out behind a shrub. I got up snowball and threw it at him. The snowball hit its mark and he collapsed on his side yelling out a curse. Me and Fishlegs laughed at that. A snowball hit my back and i spun to see Ruffnut standing five metres away, chuckling. After that, the fight got intense, snowballs were flying everywhere, but soon Fishlegs and i were cornered with no ammunition.

Snotlout was about to throw a snowball when suddenly a snowball flew out of the trees and hit the back of his head. He turned around to find no one and another snowball came from a different tree and knocked off Tuff's helmet. It was Hiccup to the rescue. More and more snowballs ambushed the opposing team and they were soon half covered and lying in snow. Hiccup came down from the tree along with the Terrible terrors, we all laughed at what just happened, so did the small dragons who shortly flew off.

The twins and Snotlout stood up groaning.

"Damn," exclaimed Snotlout "You play hard" I look to Hiccup and only see him smile.

"Well, i guess we better walk back down, to the village" said Fishlegs

We all groaned at this. All except Hiccup. "Actually," he started "We don't"

We all looked at him as if he were crazy. I watched as he picked something up from behind a rock, he brought over six planks of wood with curved edges and three racing stripes of different colours, one colour running down the middle of the board and another colour running down on both sides of the middle one. He handed one to each of us; mine had blue and orange stripes, Fishlegs had green and orange, Ruffnut got green and purple, Tuffnut -who was staring at it and looked on the verge of tears- had yellow and black, red and yellow for Snotlout and Hiccup had one with red and black with a picture of Toothless from a sky view travelling down the red painted stripe in the middle.

"Woah!" Tuffnut exclaimed "These are awesome!" His expression then turned to confussion."What are they?"

"Their called 'Snowboards', " Hiccup replied "When i was still on Berk, i got chased by some dragons and hid in shed. Until they blew it up and i landed on one of the wooden boards that was used to build that shed. I was sliding down the mountain slope on it and when i gained some balance on it, i started to do some stunts and thus, i invented a new sport called Snowboarding"

Hiccup gave us some advice before we went down the slope, saying that you have to be balanced, use your legs to guide the board and take it easy since it was our first time doing this. It wasn't easy controlling the board but i was managing. Fishlegs was screaming as we descended down the mountain and was lying on his stomach on the board, Snotlout was all over the place yelling out unintelligible things, the twins seemed to be doing alright they criss-crossed each others paths and were able to avoid rocks and trees. Hiccup was in front of us, having perfect balance and concentration, and i had a great view of his behind- _For Odin's sake Astrid! Snap out of it! _I shook the thought away and see Hiccup sliding _backwards! _He was smiling at us as he balanced himself on his board with his back facing the bottom of the mountain.

"Show off!" i shouted. He then went back to his original position and i went back to concentrating on my balance. Up ahead i saw a rock that was sticking out on an angle, and confidence consumed me as i turned to it and flew off it while doing a single spin.

"Not bad, Astrid." Hiccup called

We had reached an area of the mountain slope that was concaved shaped, as we went down and through it, Hiccup veered of course and he slid up the curved sides and off the edges perfoming stunts. He flew up sideways in midair with his right hand holding the side of his board with his feet still plated on it, he came back down and flew up the other side, this time twisting in the air. He landed on the ground then jumped up onto a fallen trunk of a tree and the board grinded on it while spinning. He came off and turned his head to face us, and saw we were all staring at him with bewilderment, shock and fascination.

He just chuckled.

Hiccup's POV

We skidded to a halt when we reached the bottom, i caught Astrid as she stopped her snowboard and fell forwards, Fishlegs came to a stop, shakily clutching the board for dear life, the twins rammed into each other but still shouted out in joy where as Snotlout stopped by colliding into a big heap of snow. Standing Astrid upright i went over to Snotlout and grabbed his legs that were sticking out and pulled him out; he looked like deformed snowman.

"That was awesome!" screamed Ruffnut "We need to do that again"

"Yeah!" agreed Tuffnut, then his stomack emitted a loud growl "But after we eat something"

So it was settled, we'd get something to eat and head back up the mountain again to practice snowboarding. We entered the Great hall, a few Vikings were there having conversations about there day. The gang and i fetched a bowl of stew, a slice bread and cup of water, we sat at a table near the back of the hall eating and talking. I asked them questions about Berk, after i left, turns out the food supplies were dwindling and they've been asking other tribes for food, Mildew the Unpleasant had vanished mysteriously one day; nobody noticed until Gobber pointed out they hadn't heard his 'Complaint of the day' for a while, searches for the Dragon Nest had been a failure as always, and Berk has explored some new lands and added it to their map. I asked Fishlegs if he was enjoying those books i gave him, and he began to ramble on about them.

"Hiccup, the books are amazing! Where did you get them?"

"The author of the botany book gave it to me and I wrote the book of dragons myself" I reply

"Seriously?! You've seen all these dragons?"

"Not just seen all of them, but trained them"

"That's incredible! Ruffnut, you need to see this"

Ruffnut just yawned and pointed to the behind us "Can you get the yak butter over there?"

Fishlegs got up and grabbed the butter while still talking about the book. "Really Ruffnut you need to read this," he rambled on while still holding the butter "There's so much information about them that Hiccup has learned that we could never have"

"Interesting. Pass the butter" said Ruffnut deadpanned.

"You don't get it do you? We could use this information to build a safer environment for Berk!"

"Fine Fishlegs. You have my undivided attention" she wiped her mouth with her arm and folded her arms in her lap.

"Great," Fishlegs dumped the butter on our table, out of reach from Ruffnut. "This book contains so much information on dragons that even I didn't know about!"

"No way!" exclaimed Ruffnut. I looked at the others and they were just as confused as me.

"Yes way," he continued "I gathered the statistics of the dragons from the manual, but this surpasses it"

"You're kidding!"

"I'm not. If we took the knowledge from the book, we'd be able to protect Berk more efficiently and wouldn't have to worry so much about the dragons"

"It would be useful" commented Ruffnut

"Yes, and if Hiccup is willing to show us how to train them, we can use them to help make a better defence system for Berk"

"Wait a minute. Who's 'them'?"

"The dragons" Fishlegs answered

"You have to be joking!"

"I'm actually not! I'll show this to Stoick and start planning on some adjustments, like tying eels to the pens of the sheep, or build supply sheds that won't burn easily. There'll be so much to do. What should I start with?"

"Start by passing the FRICKING YAK BUTTER!" she bellowed.

Fishlegs, petrified slid the butter to Ruffnut who eagerly took it and started to spread it over her slice of bread.

"Can you believe I have to get married to this guy?"

None of us said anything, we were all too shocked at what happened. I just sat there quietly eating my stew.

An hour passed and we had finished eating. Snotlout went home to get some beauty rest, the twins ran off to Odin knows where, Fishlegs hurried off to his house eager to finish the books I gave him, leaving me with Astrid. I asked her if i could see the map and the islands they've charted, she excitedly went to retrieve the map and at the same time my dad cam into the hall.

"Hey, dad" i greet "You done with chiefing?"

"Yeah it was a short day" he took sit beside me "What about you? What did you today?"

"Well, i was working on the blueprints for Toothless' tail until Astrid invited me to a snowball fight on the mountain, so that happened, taught the others to snowboard, came in here to have something to eat and right now Astrid's getting your map so i can see what new islands you've come across"

"Sounds like you've had a busy but exciting day" he commented

I nod. Astrid came back with a big piece of rolled up paper. We cleared the table and she placed the map on the table then rolled it out. I could already tell which islands were new to the map, because i don't remember them being there before.

"We found this one when we went for another hunt for the dragon, we decided to try to take a new route" she explained while pointing to an island that resembled a starfish and then pointed to another one that looked like a teardrop. "That one, Trader Johann told us about. We use it for resources" I wasn't surprised. I've been to that island, Toothless and i called it Sorrow island. Astrid contiued to explain the new islands and when she finished both her and my father looked at me with proud smiles, that was until i rolled the back up and took out thick folded piece of parchment. Placing it on the table, started to unfold it bit by bit until it was spread out on the table; the parchment was two metres on all sides, with mutliple islands, oceans and countries marked all over it. Looking at Astrid and my dad i saw that their jaws were dropped and stared in disbelief at my map.

"It's something, isn't it?" i remarked

"You've been to all of these places?" dad asked

"Yep. You could say i've been nearly eveywhere. Five years can do wonders"

"What's this island in the middle?" asked Astrid. She was pointing to a big island that was shrouded in fog and had a huge tree in the centre of it, and was marked as 'Paradise Santuary'.

"That's were i live" i state

"Really?"

I nod and folded the map back up and put in the inside pocket of my vest. My father was silent and i looked at him worriedly and curiously. "Dad? You alright?" I shook his shoulder a bit.

"Yeah, i'm fine" He gave me a small smile, but it didn't reassure me.

"Well, i better go," i say "Toothless is probably getting a bit worried" I wave a goodbye and head over to my house. When i entered, i saw Gothi petting Toothless who was sleeping comfortably on the floor. She had a Terrible Terror napping on her shoulders and blow smoke rings out of its nose. She looked up at me and smiled.

"Hello, Hiccup." she _said? _"How are you?"

"Good" i answer cautiously "You're speaking"

"Yes i am. First time in seventy years" Her voice was rough and course like sandpaper but was smooth and gentle at the same time. "You were right about these dragons, they keep the rats out and the warmth they produce helps my aching shoulders" I gave her a terrible terror one day when we were on a rare visit here, the dragon was slowly dying from poison and Gothi healed it. The dragon took a liking to her and since that day the terror has stayed by her side.

"Pardon for asking so bluntly, but why are you talking?"

Her smile fell a bit "My vow to my late husband was one of promise. He would understand, why i'd break it."

"You didn't answer the question"

She gave a small chuckle "You are observant. Then again, you always were. I haven't broken that vow to just tell you anything. I have broken the vow to offer you some advice. This choice you speak of, is difficult. Have you come to a conclusion yet?"

"No," I answer "it's frustrating. I never felt that I belonged on Berk while I was here, but now everyone is, treating me differently. Like I'm one of them. And, though the dragons took me in, I still feel like I don't belong, I don't feel at home. Even though they understood me more than the Vikings. It's so confusing"

"You are a unique boy, Hiccup. Different. You're not like the rest of us. We jump to conclusions of assumption, whereas you, you think, question, understand. You search for a reason. From the day you were born i knew you weren't going to be like us. Not because you of the fact you were born small, it was because i saw her in you. Your mother, in your eyes. She was an extraodinary woman your mother, caring, wise, gentle, yet fierce. Just like you. Valka, believed she could make Berk understand that dragons were not what they seemed to be. Unfortunately, she was not able to, and the consequences of her actions caught up with her. But, you have that power of change and hope in you. You never gave up so easily." she gave out a long deep sigh "What i'm trying to say is, don't make the choice come quicker than it's suppose to. Let it come to you. You will know when it is time to make it. I've rambled on long enough and i don't want to break my vow any longer than i have to, so farewell Hiccup, remember what i said."

Gothi stood up and walked out of the front door, leaving me with Toothless who woke up from his nap. "_How was your day?_" he asked

"Pretty good. Went snowboarding with the others" i replied

"_Sounds like you had fun_"

"Yeah. Want some fish?"

"_You know i do_"

_**The Dragons Nest**_

_"My loyal subjects, do you bring me news of this so called 'Little Sparrow'?" _

_"Flamewing, has flown my Queen, along with his group with guidance of the human boy"_

_"Curses. Many times Little Sparrow has made my subjects turn against me. Send out another raid, i grow hungry. Razor, join them. And if you are to come across the human child, make sure to despose of him properly. I will not tolerate failure."_

_"As you wish my Queen. Dragons! Prepare to raid for the Queen!"_

_"I must'nt underestimate the boy, he was able to turn my most loyal servant against me. That Night Fury will pay for such a betrayal. If all my plans fail, then i shall have to put matters into my own claws. Starting with that human, who as costed me nearly all of my subjects. He is not to be fooled with. None the less, he is merely a child. Compared to me, he will not stand a chance."_


End file.
